The big issues that are having a negative impact on your form conversion rate

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Looking for ways to improve the completion rate of your forms & checkouts?

In this video workshop we examine some of the common issues you might find, how you can identify them and, ultimately, how to fix them and improve your user experience.

Specifically;

1. Broken things
2. User expectations & confusion
3. Errors & validation
4. Asking for information people don't want to give

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To learn more on the topics raised checkout out some of our free resources:

The Big Guide to Form Optimization & Analytics

How to use Data to Optimize your Form

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Video Workshop Transcript: Fixing Online Forms & Checkouts

Introduction

00:00
Hi everyone — and welcome. Today on LinkedIn Live we’re going to be talking about fixing your online forms and checkouts, specifically how to identify and fix the biggest issues that cause people to abandon.

Before we get started, a couple of quick notes:

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop them in the comments at any time. Since this is LinkedIn Live there’s usually a short delay, so it’s best to post them as soon as you think of them. I’ll pick them up either as we go, or at the end.

I’ll also be circulating this video to anyone who signed up, so you don’t need to take lots of notes. And if you have questions afterwards, feel free to message me directly on LinkedIn.

Right — let’s begin.

Why should you listen to me?

00:54
A fair question: why should you listen to me about forms?

For those of you who don’t know, Zuko is a form analytics platform designed to help you identify and fix UX issues on your forms and checkouts that are costing you customers, revenue, and leads.

We’ve been doing this for around 10 years, and we’ve seen pretty much every form mistake you can imagine — although occasionally we still see new ones, which is always… interesting.

So today I want to share some of that experience and focus on what you should be looking at if you want to improve your form performance.

The four most common areas that cause abandonment

01:28
In theory, there are thousands of reasons people abandon forms and checkouts — from broken CAPTCHAs, to long dropdowns, to confusing messaging, and everything in between.

But today I want to focus on the most common patterns we see. Typically, form issues fall into four key areas:

1. Broken stuff that simply doesn’t work
2. User expectations and confusion
3. Errors and validation (and how you communicate them)
4. What you’re asking for (and whether users want to give it)

We’ll go through these one by one. This is a short workshop, so it’ll be fairly brisk — but if you have questions, feel free to ask.

1. Broken stuff

02:38
Let’s start with the first area: broken stuff.

These are issues where elements simply don’t work as expected. In theory, they should be easy to identify — and easy for your development team to fix.

This could include things like:

• buttons that do nothing
• links that go nowhere
• broken form elements

A classic example is a button that appears clickable, but doesn’t respond.

Example: the “nuke button”

03:04
One example we’ve seen is what I call a “nuke button.”

In this case, if a user clicks “Register Now” without filling the form perfectly, instead of highlighting the missing fields, the form wipes all the entered data — forcing the user to start again.

That’s obviously going to cost you conversions.

Broken placeholders

03:51
Another common issue is broken placeholders.

For example: someone starts typing into a field, but the placeholder text stays visible — meaning they can’t clearly see what they’ve entered. It only disappears when they move on.

That’s a clear UX break and it needs fixing.

Broken error handling

04:09
You also need to test error behaviour, not just “happy path” form completion.

Examples include:

• multiple error messages overlapping each other
• error messages persisting even after the user fixes the issue

We see this a lot. Showing errors is good — but you must remove them when the issue has been corrected.

When things look broken to the user

04:39
It’s not just obvious broken functionality you need to watch out for.

Sometimes, the form isn’t technically broken — but it feels broken to the user, because of the way it’s designed.

A classic example is a disabled submit button.

If the button is greyed out until the form is complete, users often don’t understand why. They may click it repeatedly, thinking the form is broken. If they can’t trigger error messages, they may never know what the problem is.

Overly strict validation

05:16
Another example is overly strict validation.

For instance: someone enters their phone number with spaces or dashes (which is completely normal), but the form rejects it.

The user thinks they’ve entered it correctly — but the form says it’s invalid.

If your validation is too strict, either:

• accept common formats, or
• clearly explain the required format

Otherwise you create frustration and abandonment.

Use correct HTML input types

06:03
One final point in this section: make sure you’re using the correct HTML input type for each field.

For example, phone number fields should use type="tel".

The reason is simple: on mobile devices, this triggers the correct numeric keypad automatically, which makes completion much easier.

It’s a small fix — but it has a big usability impact, and we still see it wrong all the time.

2. Managing expectations and reducing confusion

06:52
The second area is managing user expectations and avoiding confusion.

This is about being clear with the user, especially when you’re asking them for information they may not have to hand.

Tell users what they’ll need before they start

07:04
A great example of good practice here is the UK Government.

They often tell users up front what they’ll need before starting — things like:

• National Insurance number
• taxpayer reference numbers
• passport details
• driving licence details

If you don’t warn users, they may get halfway through your form, hit a question they can’t answer, leave to find the information, and never come back.

If you tell them upfront, they can prepare — and complete the form faster.

Make instructions explicit (even if you think it’s obvious)

07:58
Even for information you assume is obvious, you should still ask yourself:

Have we made it crystal clear what we mean?

A common example is billing information. Many users accidentally enter the wrong address if it isn’t clear that it needs to match their card details.

Microcopy can prevent mistakes like this.

Password rules: don’t surprise users

08:35
Passwords are another common source of friction.

Everyone has experienced this: you enter a password, and only after submitting the form you’re told it doesn’t meet the requirements.

Instead, show password requirements upfront so users know what to do before they start typing.

Explain why you’re asking for sensitive info

09:08
One of the most important areas of microcopy is explaining why you’re asking for certain information.

Phone number is a great example.

Users often think:
“You already have my email and address — you’re only asking for my phone number so you can spam me.”

But if you add a simple reassurance message like:
“We’ll only use this to contact you about your order,”
abandonment drops significantly.

You have to earn sensitive information by explaining the value.

3. Errors and validation

10:08
The third area is errors and validation.

Every user will make a mistake at some point — so your job is to make error recovery as easy as possible.

Make error messages helpful

10:27
Your error messages should be specific and helpful.

A bad error message is vague, such as:
“There are validation errors.”

A better error message gives a clear hint, such as:

• “Email address must include an @ symbol”
• “Did you mean hotmail?” (if they typed “hotnail”)

Helpful error messages reduce stress and keep people moving forward.

Avoid accusatory language

11:13
Also, be careful with tone.

Avoid accusatory wording like:

• “You didn’t enter a name.”

A better alternative is:

• “Please enter your name.”

If your brand is friendly or playful, you can add personality — but keep it supportive, not critical.

Don’t validate too early (or too late)

11:42
Another big issue is validation timing.

Some forms trigger errors too early — while the user is still typing. This is sometimes referred to as “premature error ejaculation” (yes, that’s genuinely the phrase used in the trade).

If someone has typed “a” into an email field and your form immediately shows “Enter a valid email address,” it feels aggressive and annoying.

You should typically validate when the user leaves the field, not while they’re mid-entry.

On the flip side, validation can also happen too late — for example, showing an error message far below the field it refers to, forcing the user to hunt for what went wrong.

Avoid dumping errors at the top

12:42
Another common mistake is listing all errors at the top of the form, while the submit button is at the bottom.

That forces users to scroll up and down repeatedly trying to fix issues.

Instead, use inline validation, directly beside the relevant field.

Use positive validation too

13:07
Don’t just show negative errors. Positive validation can be incredibly powerful.

A green tick (or similar confirmation) reduces uncertainty and reassures users they’re on track.

There are plenty of studies showing that positive validation reduces stress and improves completion rates.

4. What you ask — and where you ask it

13:42
The final area is the questions you ask.

Some questions create abandonment simply because users don’t want to answer them — or don’t understand why you need the information.

Phone number is one of the biggest drop-off drivers

13:59
Phone number is a great example.

Zuko data shows that phone number fields often have high abandonment rates, alongside fields like:

• password
• email

So you should always ask yourself:

• Do we really need this phone number?
• What are we going to use it for?

If you don’t need it, remove it.
If you do need it, explain clearly why.

Promo code fields: careful placement

14:52
Another big one is promo code placement.

If you place a coupon field right above payment, users often think:
“Oh, there must be a code somewhere.”

So they leave the checkout to search for one.

They bounce between the form and discount code websites, and often don’t return — especially on mobile, where abandonment rates can be even higher.

In many cases, it’s better to:

• minimise the promo code field
• hide it behind a link (“Have a promo code?”)
• place it earlier in the journey

Scary questions need reassurance

16:09
Some questions scare users off — especially if you don’t explain why you’re asking.

A good example is asking for employer name.

Users may think:
“Are they going to contact my employer? Could this cause me problems?”

So you need microcopy that addresses the real fear.

A strong example is copy like:
“This is for regulatory purposes only. We will not contact your employer.”

Sometimes what matters most is not what you will do — but what you won’t do.

Financial questions need context

17:06
The same applies to questions about annual income or personal finances.

If the user doesn’t understand why you need the information, they’ll hesitate or abandon.

Using income brackets is good (because people don’t always know their exact income), but you still need to explain the purpose — for example, that it’s required to assess affordability or creditworthiness.

Summary and close

17:59
So that’s it for today — a whistle-stop tour of the most common form and checkout issues.

To recap, the four areas to focus on are:

1. Broken functionality
2. Confusing journeys and unclear expectations
3. Poor validation and error messaging
4. Asking for unnecessary or sensitive information without explanation

I’d recommend going back to your own forms and checking whether these issues exist. Many of these fixes are quick wins and can make a big difference.

If you want to learn more about form optimisation and form analytics, head to the Zuko website. We’ve got a big guides section, ebooks, white papers, and articles — including resources on using data to optimise forms.

And of course, if you have any questions about forms or checkouts, feel free to reach out. I’m on LinkedIn every day, or you can email me directly.

Thanks very much for your time — whether you’re watching live or on playback — and we’ll be running more of these sessions soon.

Thanks again.

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