Please consider these points before building your form:
Why form design matters:
- Gives users a consistent, professional overall experience
- Gives users a perception of campus culture
- Reduces confusion for users Poor designs can:
- Cause confusion and frustration
- Lead to users not completing
- Make users feel violated (sensitive information)
Best Practices for General Forms
- Minimize requests for sensitive data
- Only ask questions related to race/gender/ethnicity if it is vital to the reason for the form – not just to collect data
- If you are collecting information on race/gender/ethnicity then be inclusive and give the option to not answer
- Use consistent naming convention/indexing system
- Last, First, Middle – this improves Record management
- Use Consistent document type titles
- Only ask for necessary information – don’t be greedy
- As few questions as possible
- Can you create a workflow that allows for auto-fill of information from ctcLink?
- If you are making a field “optional” do you need it?
- If you need to ask for this information put it later on the form
- Be very clear to users why this information is pertinent to the form
- Question order matters
- Start with the easiest data to complete and work up to harder or more sensitive information
- Order questions so they are logical from a user standpoint and not from a spreadsheet standpoint
- Group related questions together
- Use Smart forms with check systems (validation)
- Only allow numbers to be put in a field requiring numbers
- Give clear instructions on desired format of answers
- Example birthdate format mm/dd/yyyy
- Explain to participant what will happen next with the form
- Can forms be saved? Can they be printed?
- Use two forms of identifiable data validation
- Have actual stakeholders and intended users review the form
Consider what happens behind the scenes
- Use conditional logic (if someone answers a certain way additional questions do or do not pop up)
- Define internal workflow
- What happens internally after “submission”
- Does someone get notified?
- Does someone have to “approve” something?
- Does the form go into a record management system? If so where? Does this follow legal rules (FERPA)?
- Should submitter get a “confirmation” email?
- Use electronic signatures
- Include note that a typed signature counts as an electronic signature
- Software such as Docusign should only be used under circumstances where it fulfills a legal requirement
- Where will this form appear? On website, in email link, PDF?
- For Marketing – use approved form template
- Black and White
- Only use color for functional reasons (to call attention to a specific part of the form)
- It is important to get the right file format for the intended use
- Resolution matters
- Only use the approved logo from marketing
- Where should the form live?
Formatting:
- Consistent structure and order of fields
- Clear labels for fields
- List labels on top of fields

- Font should be above 16px
- Consistent collection of information
- Demographics
- First name, Middle Initial, Last Name,
- Student ID number, Date of birth (email?)
- Double verification for online forms only
- Choose radio buttons or checkboxes over dropdowns
- Dropdowns are easier to miss-choose
- Radio buttons when only one option should be chosen
- Vertically stacked (list format)
- Checkboxes if multiple options can be chosen
- Use single column format

- DO NOT USE ALL CAPS
- Do not use color coding
- Online forms must be mobile friendly
Why Use Record Management:
- Electronic storage
- Assist in workflow
- Help in decision making
- Help in reporting
- Help with regulatory compliance
- Help with process improvement