Listening doesn’t always happen face to face. Communication is facing a dangerous problem with people only listening to reply rather than to understand. This happens through online forms in hopes to collect prosperous data. It’ time to gain the right data through creative decision making by tweaking our algorithms. 

Online forms are how businesses communicate with their users. They are trying to listen to their audience through simple questions, but these data forms are collecting responses from anyone who interacts with your business. So, which responses are the most influential? 

Behind a good form, there is tweaking, careful planning, and thoughtful decision making. Especially creativity! 

Why you need a form

The goal is to get close to your customers. They are the key to your business’s success. After all, we like to know our customers and how they think to better serve them. 

When you get the chance to ask them questions, don’t overwhelm them. Every single question you ask makes your users less likely to complete the form. Forget the fluff!

Longer forms = lower conversion rates

Find a purpose

• What is the purpose of your form?
•  Are you looking for feedback? 
• Conducting specific research?
• Analyzing performance? 

These are critical steps to do before brainstorming your form. Think about certain questions you would like to ask and how many responses you expect. This is great for comparing future results as it shows your intuition capabilities. 

Simplicity

Users will only engage in tasks that do not benefit them if they are quick and easy. Therefore, think crucially when deciding which questions are vital and which will cause a disruption. 

The shorter the form, the sweeter the results. 

Longer forms will cause unfinished surveys and incomplete results. Do not compromise your data! Your window for grabbing the user’s attention is less than 5 seconds and every second counts. 

Question types

The clearer the question, the clearer the data. Rather than giving the power to the user in an open-ended question, pick specifics and guide them. 

• Use simple language
• Avoid unusual words
• Ask one thing at a time
• Use predefined answers
• Split question sections
• Logical question order

Don’t forget to test your form before it goes live. 

Building a form that keeps users engaged and garners clear, useful data is a skill to be honed and celebrated.

Looking to implement a form on your site? Contact Blue Archer for a quote.