I always wonder what is the best practice for labels/hints of text fields on a web form. Here is my understanding:
- It is better to use a label than a hint when the form has more than 2 fields... but a totally empty field with just a label looks a bit outdated and haunted.
- A hint could be used to give an example of the input or to guide the user on what should be entered... but the argument here is that hints can be confused as pre-filled text. Also sometimes I see forms with hints such as "Enter your name".
So my question is, let's say we have a form with 5 fields, is it okay to show hints for 3 fields only out of the 5, since they're the only ones that need further explanation? Or should I just add hints for all even if they don't provide a value to users EX: a text field with label "Name" and hint "Enter your name"