Keep Instructions Clear for Your Online Forms

From a web developer’s perspective, creating usable forms usually means coming up with a nice, clean design. That’s true, but it’s only part of the story, because how usable your form is also depends on how well you’ve written the instructions contained within it.

Many forms contain some content aside from the questions of the form itself. This content usually serves some instructional purpose such as helping the visitor understand the purpose of the form, knowing how to get help, etc. There’s not anything wrong with having it in your form, but it can be problematic if you have too much or if it doesn’t clearly communicate why someone should complete the form.

With that in mind, here are some tips for writing clear instructions for your form in order to improve its overall usability.

4 Tips to Writing Better Instructions

• Keep it simple – Write the instructions in plain language that most people will understand
• Know your audience – Use the right terms in the right ways. For example, there’s a big difference between American English and British English
• Limit the jargon – Only use terms a specific audience would understand if the form is designed for that audience.
• Show graphics if necessary – Where can they can find the information you’re asking for? Show them; the security code on the back of credit cards is a good example.

Now that you know how to write better instructions, here are the things you should include as instructional text in your forms if you want to make them more usable:

• A clearly written title – The title of your form page is the first thing that people will notice about it, so make sure that it says exactly what they can do by completing the form. Is it an order form?
• Where they can go for common answers – Maybe you’ve noticed people are using your contact form to ask questions they could easily find the answers to elsewhere on your website.
• Who this form is intended for – Put some instructions at the top of the page saying who exactly should fill out the form, and you’ll save people the time from filling it out for the wrong reasons. Write these instructions in the positive voice though, and be as specific as possible
• What they need to complete the form – Most people want to get through a form as quickly as possible. If they’re halfway through the form and are asked for information they don’t have right in front of them, are they likely to continue filling it out? It depends. Tell them what to gather first and how long it may take to fill out the form
• Why you want certain information – Only ask for the information that’s absolutely necessary for the person filling it out to tell you.
• What the next step will be – Most forms display some confirmation content once the user hits the “submit” button.

If you don’t consider yourself an expert writer, it is always a good idea to consult with a professional content writer first. You may avoid user confusion and frustration if you hire a writer to produce the instructions. You will have higher completion rates and happier users. English is a tricky language. Knowing how to write in an accessible way is an acquired skill.

Thoughts?

Do you have any other tips for writing clear instructions in a website form? Has anything in particular that you’ve tried worked well? Share your thoughts with everyone by using the comment form below! Or, give us a call at NOYO Web Development for assistance with your forms and instructions.