Signup forms are the gateway through which users enter your business premises online. They play a primary role in not only grabbing visitor attention, but also letting them be a part of your business by signing up for a free account trial, subscribing to a newsletter, or purchasing your products or services.
The importance of signup forms has made it even more evident to emphasize on design, especially when accessing through your smartphone. We have compiled 10 simple techniques that play a crucial role in designing highly simple and interactive signup forms for mobile that might look small but can make a big difference.
#1. Have field labels follow top left alignment
Follow a format wherein field labels are located above the fields rather than present in-line. When located on top, user eyeballs can easily catch what to be filled at. This results in form filling, seamless and quicker. More importantly, users will not have to scan from left to right in order to fill in the information, hence making navigation much easier and soothing to eyes. In
In case you go low on vertical space, you can place labels in line with fields. However, make sure that when placed in line, labels should follow left-right alignment. That means, they should be present on the left-hand side of the fields but should follow a right alignment within that given left space.
#2. Don’t let users cancel the form by mistake
Any user interface you use to create a sign-up form, ensure that the cancel button is disabled, letting users cancel the sign-up process by clicking on the close icon present on the top right corner. Many times, users accidentally cancel the form while they are on the way filling up information. They are interested in sign-up, but since they have unknowingly canceled the form, they are in no mood to sign up again by filling up all the details once again. This can lead to your business losing potential customers who were interested but still they walked out due to the frustrating user experience.
#3. Form fields validated at the same time
Have you ever imagined what users will feel if they fill up an entire form correctly but just due to one mistake or incomplete field, they are supposed to fill up the entire form again? Their valuable time is wasted, and will also annoy them to the extent that they would not sign up again ever. The result? You have just lost a potential client.
In order to avoid this scenario, inform users about their mistake or an incomplete field right at the time of filling up, so that lot of their time is saved. Do not let the form be submitted until all mistakes corrected, and all fields completed. This way the form is filled with great accuracy, and will even leave the users satisfied with overall experience.
#4. Let Call to Actions (CTAs) be descriptive enough
Instead of putting usual text on call to action buttons such as “send” or “submit”, try to have a descriptive text on buttons that will guide users what they will get or where they will land upon, as soon as they click the button. Add a personalized touch to the text you are using. As an example if you want users to comment on something, keep the text as “Join the discussion”. Having such kind of forms with a personalized call to actions, let your users be comfortable while surfing the website.
#5. Bits and pieces of information (Microcopy) to be placed
Small blocks of information provided in the form of questions with associated fields clear all the doubts related to form filling up. There are a lot of hesitant queries that goes in users’ minds. These queries can be solved using this microcopy content.
As an example, when you are asking for an email address of users, you can place a microcopy like, “Will I get too many emails if I sign up?” or probably “Is this is a free trial that I am signing up to?” Answering these questions will clear all doubts and help users to make a decision firmly without worrying about the consequences. This will ease users mind by providing complete disclosure related to entering an email address.
#6. The form should be small with less content
This might seem an obvious step. However, the signup form should not only be small in terms of a number of fields but also in terms of width and height as well. Keep only as much space for form fields as required. This will deliver a sort of relief to users that they will have to fill up a short form in order to proceed. This, in turn, will increase signup rates, leading to more leads and conversions.
#7. Tell users clearly what they will get
Provide clear information to the users regarding what they will get if they sign up. Users will not provide information if they don’t know how they will be benefited by signing up. Include descriptive info accompanied with clean microcopy. Make it clear in advance to users regarding monthly or weekly subscription, free or paid account, and other things that you users get if in case they sign up.
#8. Show number of users or members associated
Use numerical data related to the current number of members globally or possibly take names of reputed people associated with you. This will build a sense of trust and security early on with the users, letting them sign up without any fear. Convincing big statistical figures will help users instantly make a decision without thinking for the second time.
Incorporating social media integration buttons in the form of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+, and other top ranked sites, users can sign up immediately with your website without an excessive headache. You can, later on, ask them for more details if required, rather than placing all of them together.
#10. Disclose security level of signup form
Making use of security related globally recognized badges such as VeriSign, McAfee, Truste, and so on, can let users know how safe and secure your site is to sign up and use. Even better would be to place a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating reassuring them about the authenticity.
Get started with designing a better way
The above tips, if followed dedicatedly will let your signup forms play the most important role in bringing business, and, in turn, revenue generation through sales. Certain tips might work for one while others for remaining. Try to incorporate them all if at all possible. See the results once you do it.
Images: ”concept of sign up now with mobile phone/Shutterstock.com“
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