Web Form UX
Out of context: Reply #5
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- mg330
The volume of info people are willing to enter depends on what they're trying to do.
I'm working on a lead-gen page this week for a client, and the rule of thumb is to ask for as little info as possible to ensure they can be contacted. We want that process to be quick and easy.
Whereas a form used to get more information from an existing customer or user is a different thing. People are more willing take the time required but you still want to keep it limited to essential information.
Years ago I worked for a big national insurance company on all kinds of web apps, new customer flows, quote flows, etc. Their quote flow was a single huge form on a page that at first glance seemed daunting. In testing people were turned off by the complexity of it.
So we used a progressive disclosure model, with a progress bar, that served up a small set of questions at a time. We also used animations that, for example, if they were quoting home insurance, dynamically built out a home based on their specs (ranch, two story, duplex, etc.) and it paired visual feedback / visual reward with their selections.
The resulting form ended up being longer than the original, but engagement and satisfaction was through the roof. In testing, people often said "it doesn't seem that long..." "it's easier to think about my options..." and "the animations make it fun."
It was a huge change, not the least of which was designing dozens of SVG illustrations for all the permutations of car types, home types, and other things that could be insured.
But it was successful because we took a horrible experience and turned it into something more enjoyable and reward-driven.