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Im currently trying to come up with a better way of laying out the following form:

enter image description here

As it is a lead generating form, and present at PPC landing pages it is currently aligned in columns like that to keep it above the fold.

Still, I think its not pretty.

Would this form be better split up in a 2 step form?

What could I do to make it look acceptable?

Removing form fields is not an option.

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  • Does it need to work in all device types - mobile, tablets and desktops?
    – Chris
    Mar 8, 2013 at 12:12
  • this is of no concern at the moment, PC is primary target Mar 8, 2013 at 12:18

3 Answers 3

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I would do it like this. First, divide the process into two phases:

First step, in which you require relatively low engagement from the user with relatively high profit for him.

Second step, in which the user is already anchored on the promise of profit you have given him in the first step, so he will be more interested in a putting little bit more effort to fill in the form.

(The horizontal line represents division between two views.)

It should work like a credit card - you get profit first, then you have to pay. Splitting it in two steps will make the process longer, that's true, but in the same time user will freak out because of the number of fields he has to fill in. In this step, provide also an explanation why you need these data to be collected.

This way you will avoid going below the fold. enter image description here

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  • thx that looks a lot better. Would you divide the process in 2 steps like a wizard? Or is it not long enough to warrant 2 steps? I mean, hide the second section, and show it when the user clicks next, and have the steps display above the form, highlighted on which step you are. Mar 8, 2013 at 13:35
  • As I wrote, I think it would be better to split it in two screens - this way users will not give up when they see there is a lot to fill in, and after the first step, much oriented on gaining profit by the users, they will be more interested in filling in the rest of the form. BTW, you can use javascript to switch the screens without reloading. Mar 8, 2013 at 13:43
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I know you said in your question that removing fields isn't an option, but that's the way to increase conversion, Luke W even says so. There are some fields that seem ripe for it -

  • Salutation
  • Do you need both job title and job role?
  • You're collecting zip, city, state, and country, but not street address? If you're not sending them mail, then Country and Zip/Postal code should be plenty

Okay, that said, an improvement would be to make it look less like a big pile of form fields. It's way more important to have a good looking form than it is to get it all "above the fold" - users DO scroll. So like all good form design, I'd make a consistent path for users' eye to follow, and do your best to combine fields when appropriate to make it look shorter. My name is three pieces of data to a database, but just one to me.

mockup

download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups

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  • good suggestion. I was thinking something like that as well. However scrolling to fill out a form might increase the lenght perception. I agree on the fields, however I can't make the call. Mar 8, 2013 at 14:10
  • +1, if only for the default not-checked newsletter checkbox. A slight improvement might even be to hide the box for Other until you actually check other. That should clean up the form a bit further.
    – André
    Mar 8, 2013 at 14:11
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the best advice i would like to give you after 5 years of experience is that just put 1 small form like Name, Email, Contact No that's it ... but when user presses submit after that onwards redirect users to your this form .. as internet research has proven small forms are high conversable .. so after getting this done you can redirect user to long form which will be good strategy.

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  • Can you provide some of this 'internet research' you refer to? Also, if you're still presenting the same form after sumbitting the first 'smaller' one doesn't that break your rule about small forms having high conversions? Are they more likely to fill in this second form after having completed a smaller one already?
    – JonW
    Apr 3, 2013 at 7:47
  • So basically 2 steps but with no step indication? I like that. I have researched a lot and the opinions seem unconclusive. Hubspot for example says there isn't really a difference in conversion between 5 fields and 10 fields. Perhaps, its more important what you get for filling out the form. Apr 3, 2013 at 18:32

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