Web design: How to build forms for mobile users

23 Dec

By kamagraoraljellybestellen

• Reading time: 4 mins. Web design: How to build forms for mobile users

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Designers have been building forms for mobile devices for a decade now. Luckily, the rise of smartphones has led directly to the rise of HTML5, allowing designers to create forms that are far more elegant than they were at the dawn of the smartphone era in 2007.

The specific problems that arise around mobile forms have not changed significantly, but in some cases have even worsened. The space on a smartphone is still very limited. Of course, the screen diagonal of 5.5 inches that is common today and resolutions in the UHD range offer better basic requirements than the 3.5 inches and 320 x 240 pixels of the smartphone prehistoric times.

Even in the age of LTE, we still can't rely on data connections to remain stable. This can result in processing problems in the frontend, i.e. on the mobile device, as well as processing and/or storage problems in the backend. You always have to reckon with the worst-case scenario and not least take this into account in the form design.

Certainly not a situation that invites you to fill out a form. (Photo: Pexels)

The biggest problem, however, is likely to be the increasing input refusal of mobile users. Entering data on a mobile device, despite improvements in keyboards and increasing touch accuracy, is not a topic that is associated with fun. Whenever filling out forms on mobile can be avoided, the average user will do it.

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That's why designers need to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for potential clients to fill out the forms. There are a few simple ways to do this that can already significantly improve forms.

Use as few form fields as possible

There are separate fields for last name and first name. There are separate fields for street and house number, as well as for zip code, city, area code and phone number. That's eight fields that would be fiddly to fill out on mobile.

It is much easier for the user to reduce the number of fields to four by grouping things that belong together, i.e. first name and surname in one field, as well as street and house number and so on.

In general, you should put on a strict diet, especially for mobile forms. Many questions that should be answered using the form are not important in the first step. For example, if you build a user onboarding form, you don't have to ask for the shoe size right away. In the event that this information is actually important, you can also ask the user later to complete their profile in this regard. Mobile we only ask what is absolutely unavoidable.

This topic also includes doing without design elements that are rather unfavorable for mobile devices, especially drop-downs. Neither drop-down menus nor lists should be used in mobile forms. Fingers are not mouse pointers, and there are no standardized fingers at all. Operating errors are already pre-programmed with these input elements.

Take a cue from the modern bot style

We have messengers like Whatsapp to thank for the query in conversational style. However, the method does have some advantages. When entering a form in the style of a conversation, users find themselves in a more or less familiar environment. It is important to remember, however, that a good conversation is not like an interrogation. So you ask a question, get an answer, possibly give some information yourself and then ask the next question. This is how you work your way through the form.

Of course, care must be taken to signal to users at all times where they are in the process. A page-oriented design is therefore always recommended for the form design instead of long scrolling.

The conversational style also lends itself to dealing with user error. Instead of a rude "Wrong password" it's better to respond with a full-sentence message, linked to an explanation, for example:

"Sorry, but this password appears to be incorrect. If you have forgotten your password, you can have it sent to you again here."

Always populate form fields with default values where possible Web design: How to build forms for mobile users

This tip has two dimensions. On the one hand, it means that once data has been entered, it is always automatically used again where possible. The customer may have already entered their name to subscribe to the newsletter and is now busy purchasing an e-book. It would be more convenient if he didn't have to type in his name again at this point.

On the other hand, the pre-filling of form fields can also be done via the sensors of the mobile devices. For example, the location can be easily determined. If I create services that include a local search, such as DHL shops nearby, I place the searcher directly on a map using GPS that represents the immediate area, instead of tormenting them with a zip code entry.

Location is a snap. (Source: Shutterstock | Created by: SydaProductions)

In the case of pre-filled values, however, you should always provide the option of overwriting these values manually. Because it is of course conceivable that the DHL shop seeker is looking for a friend from the neighboring town and does not want to explore his immediate surroundings at all.

Conclusion: These tips will make your forms better

The tips listed here will improve your mobile forms quite a bit. Based on the Pareto principle, you should be able to eliminate 80 percent of the most common form problems. Of course, there is other advice that, if implemented, will make for even better mobile forms, such as following the W3C Mobile Accessibility Recommendations in general. However, that is beyond the scope of this article.

Sources for further reading:

8 Best Practices for Mobile Form Design | UX Matters

Mobile Accessibility | W3C Web Accessibility Initiative

10 Methods for Optimizing Your Forms for Mobile Devices | Speckyboy Design Magazine

Better Mobile Shape Design | Luke Wroblewski