Designing sign up forms

How many sign up forms do you get to and feel the need to close the window? Some sites seem to able to get away with the basics which keeps the user interested, and others offer an unnecessary amount of fields to baffle and annoy any user. With this in mind, here are some handy tips and tricks to keep in mind next time you are facing this issue, dependant on the client’s requirements of course.

• Allow your users to login via their facebook account. Not only does it simplify matters on your end, it allows the user to gain instant access to your content and not have to create more usernames and passwords.

• Allow users to login in from the page they are currently viewing and not linking them through to another page. This basically stops any confusion on the users part as to where they should go next after having joined up.

• Don’t have the Newsletter default  option set to ‘on’. Nothing annoys someone more than receiving mail they haven’t willingly agreed to and they will most probably unsubscribe.

• Start with the basics on a sign up form then hit them with more details once they have received their confirmation email. This will give them the confidence that you aren’t being tricky by gaining their information too quickly. Once they have established a basic relationship with you can hit them up for more account details for the database.

• On longer forms, use smart options to help them along the way. For instance, highlight the first field to help them focus on the starting line. Then perhaps use auto – complete on areas like suburb names or postcodes, based on previous fields they have already filled in.