So if we are in the process of leading our users to a desired goal on our sites, and in our applications, any little thing we can do to help them complete the form in a timely manner. We have looked at providing guidance through a streamlined form design, and providing help via tool tips and status bars. So next lets consider giving our users useful information via feedback to help guide them through the decision making process.
Offer Useful Feedback to Users
When filling out forms users often don’t have much time to complete the process, and guiding them through the process will help ensure that they accomplish the goals you have set for them to complete (sale, sign up, subscription etc.).
Two ways you can do this in the form process are through;
Id availability (auto suggest)
The image below shows Yahoo’s user name selection portion of the email sign up form. At this point you have already provided your first and last name, so the form uses that information and provides a list of available user names. This helps to prevent the “user name taken” frustration I mentioned at the beginning of the article.
The form also allows you to click on a suggested email id to choose it and auto fills it into the form when clicked. These types of helpful functions remove (or at least lesson) some of thinking for users and speed up the form submission process.
Password Strength Indicator
We have all seen the password strength indicator when signing up for a service.
If displayed inline, and validating in real-time (as the password is typed out) you prevent the user from having to fill out the form over and over again until they get the password correct. The process can also be simplified by using a 3rd party login tool like Facebook connect, or having them login using their Twitter account info. Both of these processes are becoming more and more popular.
Wrapping Up
So suggesting user names and indicating the strength of passwords saves time and frustration during the process. Next we will look at helping users by clarifying actions in process.
What has been your experience with password indicators, and user id suggestions. Were they helpful? useless?
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Thanks for these tips, Aaron!
In tandem with password verification, I think it’s important to give unfamiliar users some insight into what a ‘strong’ password is (even if it means sacrificing a bit of screen real estate). I see piles of forms that indicate password strength, but leave you wondering “Well, what the hell *is* a strong password?” or “Why isn’t my password strong enough? I have four X’s, my street address and my kitten’s name…what’s the secret?!”
As an aside, I wanted to give you mad props for your ability to bring the design community together on all levels; thanks for your constant inspiration!