Design outside the box with narrative forms
The standard form is characterized by a few fields where leads fill in their basic contact details like their name, email address and phone number. It’s humdrum and very mundane…just because it’s typical doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be messed with, though. On the contrary, try shaking things up for better conversions with narrative forms. Narrative forms, as the name implies, are forms that keep the conversation going; instead of simply ending the story when the site copy ends. These types of forms continue to engage your leads by prompting them to fill in the blanks in a form in the style of a first-person narrative. This makes the sign-up process way more personal!![vast](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/vast.jpg)
Use fewer (or more) fields
In the past few years, there’s been a debate about the specific form length that works best at boosting conversions. Newsflash: There actually isn’t a specific length that works better; shorter forms get more of a certain kind of conversion, while longer fields get more of another kind of conversion. Conventional wisdom dictates that fewer fields on a form boosts conversions. That’s true, but only in that fewer fields produce a greater quantity of conversions rather than a greater quantity of quality conversions.![finery](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/finery.jpg)
![Marketo](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/Marketo.jpg)
![TD-Ameritrade](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/TD-Ameritrade.jpg)
Only use clear labels and explanations
It’s stunning to discover that some designers still neglect the fundamentals of ensuring that users can actually make sense of a form straightaway.![thehugo](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/thehugo.jpg)
![barnes-noble](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/barnes-noble.jpg)
Do away with mandatory registration
If there’s anything that can kill conversions quickly when your customers are already all set to buy something from your client’s online store, it’s the dreaded registration process during checkout. Experience tells us that forcing customers to register or sign-in, which equals additional steps, prior to a purchase will lower conversion rates.![condor](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/condor.jpg)
![staples](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2015/09/staples.jpg)
Web form best practices
Designing smart, effective forms all comes down to incorporating these best practices into your design. There’s a reason that these approaches are best practices: they’ve been proven to work, which is also why you tend to see them in the sign-up forms of successful online stores. Badly designed forms will be a drag on the site’s conversion rate so logically, it makes sense to drastically improve the design of forms on any page to improve the conversion rate of the entire site. Remember that designing forms is just one aspect of broader web design, but it, too, should be guided by the principle of designing first and foremost for the user experience. All the tips discussed above are tried, tested and true ways to please your clients’ customers and therefore increase the conversion rates of your clients’ sites.Marc Schenker
Marc’s a copywriter who covers design news for Web Designer Depot. Find out more about him at thegloriouscompanyltd.com.
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