How to design great web forms

When it comes to forms, the temptation is to dive straight into the details. Do we need to collect phone numbers or just email addresses? Should this button say ‘Submit’ or ‘Apply’? And so on. But as with any successful design or development project, the best place to start is establishing the overall framework.

As the author of the famous Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven R Covey, said: “Begin with the end in mind.” For forms, it’s important to clearly define what the form must achieve. The ‘six Ws’ of journalism are useful:

  • What information do we need to collect?
  • Why is that information needed?
  • Who is going to use this information?
  • How will the information be used?
  • When do we need the information?
  • Where is the information going to live?

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.