Why people abandon forms.

Usually one field, not the whole form. Password boxes lose the most people, then email and phone. The cheap fixes are the same almost everywhere: ask for less, say why you are asking, accept whatever format people type, and show the rules before the error.

• 10.5%

  was the average abandon rate for password fields across 238 forms, the highest of any kind of field. On the middle form it was 5.95%. Zuko Analytics

• 6.4% and 6.3%

  were the averages for email and phone, across about 1,000 forms each. Name, postcode and address came in lower. Zuko Analytics

• About half

  of the average, or less, is what the middle form scored for every kind of field. A few badly performing fields drag the average up, so most forms are fine and a few are losing a lot. Zuko Analytics

• 14 in 100

  shoppers told Baymard they would never give an online store their phone number. It asked 1,026 people. Baymard Institute

• 39 in 100

  sites in Baymard's benchmark require a phone number and never say why. Baymard Institute

• 22 people

  tested six versions of a sign-up form in 2009. With mistakes pointed out as they went, they succeeded 22% more often and finished 42% faster than when errors only showed at the end. A small, old test, so treat the sizes loosely. A List Apart

1. 01A phone field with no reason given

   People expect order updates by email, so a required phone number reads as a sales call waiting to happen. Baymard heard worries ranging from unwanted marketing calls to identity theft, and saw people type false details or leave. Baymard Institute

   TRY THISMake it optional. If you truly need it, say why in a few words right beside the field, such as for delivery questions only.

2. 02Password rules that only show up as an error

   The password box was the clear outlier in Zuko's data. It lost the most people, and it was the field people most often had to come back to. Zuko Analytics

   TRY THISShow the rules before anyone types. Drop the second password box, and add a way to see what was typed.

3. 03Fields that reject how people type

   A phone number with spaces, a postcode in lowercase, a date with dots. Each one that bounces back is a small argument with the form. Nielsen Norman Group's advice is to state any format rule up front and drop the arbitrary ones. Nielsen Norman Group

   TRY THISAccept any reasonable format and tidy it up after the form is sent. If a format really matters, show an example under the field.

4. 04Errors at the wrong moment

   In Wroblewski's test, people got through fastest when a field was checked after they left it. Checking while they were still typing made things worse: people saw a red cross before they had finished, and found it annoying. A List Apart

   TRY THISCheck each field when the person moves on from it. Not on every keystroke, and not only when they press the button.

5. 05Optional fields that look required

   If nothing says a field can be skipped, people assume it cannot. Nielsen Norman Group says to cut optional fields where you can and clearly label the ones that stay. Nielsen Norman Group

   TRY THISGo through your form and mark every field you do not need as optional, or delete it.

6. 06More fields than the job needs

   Each field you remove tends to raise the number of people who finish, by the same guidance. Ask of each one whether you can work it out yourself, ask later, or live without it. Nielsen Norman Group

   TRY THISCut the form to what you need today. Company size and how they heard about you can wait for the second conversation.