A multi step form has potentially dozens of form fields ranging from basic contact information to work or education history. But not all these fields will be relevant for every respondent. And making a user scroll through an endless list of unnecessary fields will quickly cause frustration. It also increases the chances of form abandonment. Thankfully, providing a seamless and efficient form-filling experience is easy if you incorporate one specific feature — conditional logic. When used strategically, conditional logic can make a long, daunting multi step form feel more manageable for respondents.
Conditional logic is a multi step form best practice that provides a more dynamic and personalized experience for users. Your respondents will be more likely to complete and submit your form, and you will be more likely to collect high-quality data. It’s a win-win.
The foundation: Understanding conditional logic in multi step forms
If you’ve ever filled out an online form that only shows additional fields if you make a specific selection (on a drop-down menu, for example), then you have experienced the power of conditional logic.
Conditional logic follows an if-then formula: If a user completes a certain action, then another step is triggered. Much like a “choose your own adventure,” conditional logic takes a user down different paths depending on the choices you select when filling out a form.
Conditional logic can provide a respondent with just the right amount of fields and questions to capture quality data without causing overwhelm. Using conditional logic within a complex, multi step form has many benefits, including:
- Preventing information overload
- Easing frustration and confusion
- Providing personalized experiences
- Improving data quality
Streamlining user journeys with progressive disclosure
Progressive disclosure is a term that means designing from simple to complex to create a more logical and natural user experience. This can apply to any type of design, including designing your multi step form.
You can apply this technique with conditional logic by revealing questions in a form based on a user’s previous response. For example, instead of creating a complex job application with an exhaustive list of form fields for education and work history, you can use conditional logic to only display one section at a time.
If a respondent only has one previous job, they will only see one set of work experience fields. A respondent can select an “add more work experience” button to trigger a new set of fields, and so on. Another example is providing a respondent an option to add more contact information if their billing address is different from their shipping address.
4 ways to personalize multi step forms with conditional logic
One of the great benefits of conditional logic in multi step forms is that it allows for more dynamic, personalized form experiences for users. The ability to show or hide fields and sections based on user input helps prevent errors, increase data quality, and improve experiences on desktop and mobile.
1. Error prevention
Conditional logic can help prevent errors by dynamically guiding users to validate their input in real-time. Some form fields require specific formatting, such as for phone number or email address. You can help reduce user frustration by including conditional logic with these fields.
2. User friendly design
Conditional logic helps create a seamless and engaging form design by hiding fields until a respondent’s selection triggers them. This not only makes your multi step form feel more manageable but also ensure users aren’t spending unnecessary time scrolling past irrelevant form fields. Cutting out all this “noise” will keep users engaged for longer.
3. Data accuracy
The less a user has to complete irrelevant fields, the less likely they will be to provide irrelevant data just to progress to the next page of your multi step form. By adding conditional logic to hide those irrelevant fields, you can better ensure you will collect accurate and relevant data.
4. Mobile responsiveness
Even a multi step form will appear long and intimidating if respondents are using mobile devices. Conditional logic can enhance the mobile form experience by allowing a small number of fields to initially show on the form. If a user selects a field with a conditional path, only then will they be shown additional fields to complete. Optimizing your multi step form for mobile users is a good way to make sure they provide you with relevant and useful data.
Continuous form improvement with conditional logic
Conditional logic can improve the user experience, until a field doesn’t trigger properly. If you plan to include conditional logic within your multi step form, be sure to test your form often. Gathering user feedback will give you the insights you need to make positive changes and continuously improve your multi step form for usability and effectiveness.
Start building more dynamic and user-friendly forms
Conditional logic on forms is an ideal way to provide a great user experience for respondents filling out your multi step form. By adding conditional steps to your form, you can increase engagement, reduce bad data, avoid errors, and increase form conversion rates.
Start building your multi step form and apply these best practices for more effective and user-friendly form experiences!
Interested in learning more about multi step form best practices? Be sure to register for our webinar, From Concept to Creation: Complex and Versatile Forms.
