Can we all just agree on one thing
October 2019
Forms should be laid out in a single column, with labels above the inputs.
So says Nielsen Norman Group, Luke Wroblewski (p 27), and Adam Silver. These people have designed forms, thought about forms, observed humans using forms, and experimented on forms for a long, long time. Theyâre smart, and I trust them.
So why doesnât Salesforce?
⌠or Sephora?
No idea, but there are two possibilities.
Theyâve tested it
Or who knows, theyâre testing it right now, and I was in the test when I took those screenshots đ¤Ż
If you have trustworthy data that tells you float labels or placeholder labels make you more money than plain old đ´ top aligned labels, well, youâve got to act on that.
They havenât tested it
If you havenât gotten around to testing something as unsexy as form label placement, I donât blame you. If your formâs broken, you fix it. But if itâs not, I assume all the following are better candidates for experimentation:
- Moving or removing entire sections of content
- Changing copy
- Making more prominent design changes
âTop aligned form labelsâ might be better than what youâve got, but itâs unlikely theyâre the single biggest improvement you can make to your website. Theyâve got to get in line behind bigger, bolder ideas.
So itâs okay not to test them. But the problem with having untested design solutions ⌠at a crucial point of conversion ⌠that go against broad best practices consensus ⌠is the anxiety it creates.
Maybe youâre immune to it; I hope so. But Iâve talked to tons of marketers and business owners who carry around doubt and uncertainty around just this type of element.
âWe know our form could be better, but âŚâ
âYeah, thatâs just the default layout for our theme; it seems okay I guess âŚâ
These poor folks walk around every day concerned that their website is underperforming, while feeling helpless to do anything about it đ˘
To anyone in this position, I suggest a top-to-bottom best practices overhaul for your forms. As a way to maybe increase conversions, and definitely put to rest the nagging doubts about what you might be doing wrong.
One day, when you do experiment on your form, youâll be testing against a best practices baseline. But until then, youâll know you did your very best âď¸