They say good programmers mostly use the keyboard rather than the mouse. For me, however, taking my hand off the mouse while browsing to use the keyboard is… a huge effort! Like filling out a poorly designed eCommerce form.
Nobody wants to fill out forms! What users really want is to achieve their goals: complete a purchase, send a message, subscribe to a newsletter or blog, log in to a social network, etc.
«Forms are where eCommerce or website owners interact with users. They make purchases, sign-ups and feedback happen. Thanks to forms, eCommerce businesses feed their databases and deepen their knowledge of users and their preferences.»
However, to obtain this precious “treasure”, you first need the user to:
1) Pay close attention, as they have to identify fields and how to fill them in
2) Use the keyboard. To fill in the form fields, users have to type, whereas “reading navigation” is mainly done with the mouse.
3) Make decisions when choosing product options (shipping methods, sizes, colors, quantities, times, dates)
4) Share personal data. Always a very sensitive issue
And design a form that takes these considerations into account:
a) Indicate which fields are required
b) Include form validation to help users complete fields without errors.
c) Include help icons that provide more information without opening a new window.
d) Group fields into concepts familiar to users (name, account, address, contact details, etc.)
e) Confirm when actions have been completed.
If you’ve read this far and still want to know whether your eCommerce forms are well designed, ask yourself these three questions:
1) Are you sure you’re only asking strictly essential questions? A good eCommerce form is based on prior analysis to determine which questions to ask to reach your goal (a subscription, a sign-up, a sale, etc.).
2) Is the path through the form fields clear? We must organize fields logically, creating a flow where users naturally know what comes next.
3) Is our form hard for users to fill in? Rather than users seeing the form as a long to-do list, we should create a gradual experience where fields appear bit by bit and each step offers something that invites them to continue.
If you’ve reached the end of this post and still aren’t sure what your eCommerce forms should look like, it’s time for your biggest effort: Take your hand off the mouse! And fill in the forms to share this post! You’ll see they ask for very little data, the path to completing the share is simple and clear, and the process, far from being long and tedious, is quick and smooth.
