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Forms are often the last thing optimizers think about, but the first thing users bounce off when they’re not right.
Whether it’s signing up, checking out, or giving feedback, forms are an important way to understand your users, learn about their experiences and gather information. Yet too often, we see them built on hunches, recycled templates, or guesses.
But what if we treated form User Experience (UX) as something testable, measurable, and most importantly, improvable?
Enter experimentation.
AB testing, analytics, session replays - these tools help you move from best guesses to better results. Let’s look at how you can use experimentation to turn clunky forms into smooth, high-performing experiences that users will find easy to complete.
Start with research. This could be heuristics/best practices, teardowns, interviews or controlled studies, etc. Once you have some observations, we can focus on hypotheses.
Your hypothesis could be something like, “Removing half these fields might actually get more people to finish the form.”
Then, test it. Track it. Tweak it. Repeat.
This mindset helps you escape the assumptions trap — because we’ve all heard them:
Maybe. Maybe not. You won’t know until you test. And even iterate to continue to evolve with your users.
We of course always recommend you test everything before making fixed decisions on what you implement. AB Testing lets you test two versions of your form and see which performs better.
You can experiment with:
Small tweaks can drive big improvements and make a big difference to form completion rates.
Want to find out more? Try testing multiple variables at once — like layout, field order, and help text placement — to see which combo delivers the best results.
It can be more complex but avoids the trap of “all or nothing” as the outcome you get from an AB Test, focusing more on the performance of each component.
Over time, programmes at scale find that there’s no singular right answer.
“What’s the best way to offer help text to people?” Depends on the person.
“What’s the easiest way to arrange Date of Birth fields?” Depends on the person.
Tracking good data alongside your experiments allows you to find subsegments/cohorts of users that enjoy a particular presentation more, and this can vary wildly across your user base.
The best page is the best thing for that individual, and many companies work towards this vision of personal, relevant, contextual experiences.
Session replay tools let you see exactly how users interact with your form.
This is real, visual feedback — perfect for spotting friction points or confusing fields that could prevent customers from converting.
Track the stuff that matters:
This kind of data gives you the “what” behind user struggles — and points you straight to areas for improvement.
You don’t need a total redesign to see big results. Start small. Focus on changes like:
Each one might feel minor on its own, but together, they can drastically improve the user experience.
No matter how experienced you are, instinct can only take you so far.
Users come from different backgrounds, devices, and levels of tech comfort. What works for one audience might flop for another. That’s why testing matters.
And when you inevitably need buy-in from stakeholders, data gives you the proof. You aren’t just working off assumptions anymore, you can highlight tangible results that show improved completion rates.
It’s important to remember that Form UX is a process; an ongoing cycle of questions, experiments, learnings, and refinements.
Whether you’re building a new signup flow or trying to optimise an existing checkout, approach it with curiosity. Let your users show you what’s working and what’s not.
Because at the end of the day, a form that works better for your users? Works better for your business too.
Elin Mathers, Optimisation Consultant at Webtrends Optimize.
Elin works closely with clients to optimize all areas of their website, with a focus on improving the user experience and increasing conversion rates. Webtrends Optimize is an unrestricted, full-stack Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) solution with an ‘all-inclusive’ model - all tools and features are available to all users.
Zuko is the most powerful form analytics platform available on the market. Find out how to improve your form and checkout conversion by taking a product tour.
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