Forms are hard
Forms are hard
Forms are hard
Mar 1, 2025
Equitable design patterns
Whether you are paying your bills or buying clothes online, multi-step forms can be confusing and frustrating. Now, imagine you're applying for critical human services like food assistance with the added stress of providing for your family. In these situations, what can we do to provide people who may also have limited tech literacy with additional clarity, ease of use, and reduced barriers to entry?
How long is this going to take? When you first get started, many forms feel like black boxes, with little understanding about what’s involved in the process.
Where am I? Some forms are either a massive set of fields all stacked up on one page or divided across multiple third-party services and payment gateways, leading to confusion.
Did that work? I know I've experienced forms where I fill out all my information, click submit, and nothing happens. What happens next? Did I get an email?
I hope these three form principles can help your team build better experiences for the real human beings that need the services you offer.
Set expectations before getting started
Be clear about what the form is and the types of questions you'll be asking
If additional documents are needed, let folks know before getting started
Let people know before getting started how they will be contacted afterward
Guide users through their journey
Break your form into meaningful sections and chunks
For multi-step forms, show them where they are in the process
In case of stress or limited time, always allow users to save as they go
Tell folks what happens next
Before they submit, let people check their answers
When they do submit, give people a confirmation number if you can
Provide contact information so they can follow up with questions
f you want to learn more about how to equitably deliver forms for people seeking government services, check out Form Fest, hosted by Code for America. You can watch all of the talks from last year.
✊ You can also continue to reference the 18F Guides on Content and Accessibility via the new mirror the team set up to keep these essential resources available
Whether you are paying your bills or buying clothes online, multi-step forms can be confusing and frustrating. Now, imagine you're applying for critical human services like food assistance with the added stress of providing for your family. In these situations, what can we do to provide people who may also have limited tech literacy with additional clarity, ease of use, and reduced barriers to entry?
How long is this going to take? When you first get started, many forms feel like black boxes, with little understanding about what’s involved in the process.
Where am I? Some forms are either a massive set of fields all stacked up on one page or divided across multiple third-party services and payment gateways, leading to confusion.
Did that work? I know I've experienced forms where I fill out all my information, click submit, and nothing happens. What happens next? Did I get an email?
I hope these three form principles can help your team build better experiences for the real human beings that need the services you offer.
Set expectations before getting started
Be clear about what the form is and the types of questions you'll be asking
If additional documents are needed, let folks know before getting started
Let people know before getting started how they will be contacted afterward
Guide users through their journey
Break your form into meaningful sections and chunks
For multi-step forms, show them where they are in the process
In case of stress or limited time, always allow users to save as they go
Tell folks what happens next
Before they submit, let people check their answers
When they do submit, give people a confirmation number if you can
Provide contact information so they can follow up with questions
f you want to learn more about how to equitably deliver forms for people seeking government services, check out Form Fest, hosted by Code for America. You can watch all of the talks from last year.
✊ You can also continue to reference the 18F Guides on Content and Accessibility via the new mirror the team set up to keep these essential resources available
Whether you are paying your bills or buying clothes online, multi-step forms can be confusing and frustrating. Now, imagine you're applying for critical human services like food assistance with the added stress of providing for your family. In these situations, what can we do to provide people who may also have limited tech literacy with additional clarity, ease of use, and reduced barriers to entry?
How long is this going to take? When you first get started, many forms feel like black boxes, with little understanding about what’s involved in the process.
Where am I? Some forms are either a massive set of fields all stacked up on one page or divided across multiple third-party services and payment gateways, leading to confusion.
Did that work? I know I've experienced forms where I fill out all my information, click submit, and nothing happens. What happens next? Did I get an email?
I hope these three form principles can help your team build better experiences for the real human beings that need the services you offer.
Set expectations before getting started
Be clear about what the form is and the types of questions you'll be asking
If additional documents are needed, let folks know before getting started
Let people know before getting started how they will be contacted afterward
Guide users through their journey
Break your form into meaningful sections and chunks
For multi-step forms, show them where they are in the process
In case of stress or limited time, always allow users to save as they go
Tell folks what happens next
Before they submit, let people check their answers
When they do submit, give people a confirmation number if you can
Provide contact information so they can follow up with questions
f you want to learn more about how to equitably deliver forms for people seeking government services, check out Form Fest, hosted by Code for America. You can watch all of the talks from last year.
✊ You can also continue to reference the 18F Guides on Content and Accessibility via the new mirror the team set up to keep these essential resources available