It’s not you, it’s your form: How to improve your relationship with users

Filling in a form online is one of the most important points of interaction a user has with an organization.

And we interact with them often. We fill in tax forms, grant applications, make online purchases or sign up to dating sites.

Forms can be the first step in a relationship with an organization or the final step in a journey to achieve a goal (ex. get a grant, a drivers license, or a partner in crime). Sometimes, not filling them out properly can carry unpleasant consequences like an interrogation by immigration officers at the airport or your profile on OkCupid matching you with the wrong date.

Form design expert Jessica Enders defines a form as:

“A form […] collects information from at least one party, and delivers it to at least one other party, so a product or service can be provided.”

The role of a UX designer is to help create easy, fast, and productive form experiences to entice users to fill in forms. As Enders states, designers should “create an optimal user experience, such that the needs of both the users and the owner of the form [organisation that owns the form] are met.”

A case study

I was tasked with redesigning a product for The Queen’s Fund, one of the oldest charities in Australia. This charity provides small emergency funds to women in distress and their children. The women are referred to the charity by welfare agencies and community organizations. The task was to redesign the online communication portal these social workers use to interact with the charity.

This article is about the practical UX tips used to improve the usability of the charity’s forms. And for brevity, it focuses only on the funds application form.

Team effort

I needed to understand the context in which form fillers (users) used the form. So, I asked users for insight and to test what worked and what didn’t. Discovering pain points, listening to their needs, and acting upon feedback was crucial for improving the existing solution.

“Gather feedback on a form by watching users attempt to complete it.” –Jessica Enders