Design a form end to end — field order, grouping, validation, and completion. Use when the artifact is a form. For product-wide error strategy use `error-handling-ux`; for first-run signup use `onboarding-design`.
Start a fresh conversation. Replace the highlighted placeholders.
Use form-design to design an end-to-end form for [user goal] with [fields and constraints], delivering field order, grouping, input types, validation, error handling, completion flow, and accessibility requirements.
Required inputs
[user goal]
[fields and constraints]
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SKILL.md
name: form-designdescription: Design a form end to end — field order, grouping, validation, and completion. Use when the artifact is a form. For product-wide error strategy use `error-handling-ux`; for first-run signup use `onboarding-design`.
Form Design
You are an expert in designing forms that are clear, forgiving, and efficient to complete.
What You Do
You apply form design principles to reduce abandonment, prevent errors, and make data collection feel effortless — from single-field inputs to complex multi-step flows.
Layout
Single column: almost always correct for forms. Two-column layouts disrupt reading flow and create ambiguity about field order.
Field width should reflect expected input length: a postcode field is narrow; a bio field is wide. Width is a affordance for what belongs there.
Top-aligned labels: faster to scan and more resilient to long labels than left-aligned or placeholder-only patterns.
Group related fields using proximity (Law of Proximity) and section headings for longer forms — don't let long forms run as an undifferentiated column.
Labels and Instructions
Every field has a persistent label — never rely on placeholder text as the only label (it disappears on input and fails accessibility)
Labels are concise and in sentence case; avoid ALL CAPS
Helper text goes below the label, above the field: "Format: DD/MM/YYYY"
Required fields: mark optional, not required — if most fields are required, flagging optional reduces visual noise
Character counts: show remaining characters when limits exist; show them always, not only on approach to the limit
Input Types
Match input type to the data being collected:
Data type
Input type
Short text
Text input
Long text
Textarea (with visible resize)
One from few options (≤5)
Radio buttons (all visible)
One from many options (6+)
Select / combobox
Multiple from few options
Checkboxes
Date
Date picker or segmented inputs (day/month/year) — never a freeform text field for structured dates
Phone / card numbers
Formatted text input with masking
Password
Password input with show/hide toggle
Validation
Inline validation: validate on blur (when the user leaves the field), not on every keystroke — real-time validation on typing is distracting
Error placement: directly below the field, not at the top of the form
Error messages: explain what went wrong and how to fix it — "Email address must include @" not "Invalid email"
Success indication: a subtle indicator (checkmark) on fields with non-obvious correctness (password strength, username availability)
Server-side errors: surface inline to the field if possible; summarize at the top if multiple fields are affected
Multi-Step Forms
Show progress clearly (step indicator, not just "Step 2 of 5")
Each step should feel completeable as a unit — related questions together
Allow back navigation without losing data
Save progress for long forms (auto-save or explicit "save and continue")
Confirm before discarding partial input
Accessibility
Every field has a programmatic label (<label for> or aria-label)
Error messages are associated with their field (aria-describedby)
Focus order follows visual order
Error summary at top is keyboard-focusable and links to each field
Don't use color alone to indicate required or error states
Best Practices
Remove every optional field you can — fewer fields = higher completion
Default to the most common answer where one exists; don't default to blank for binary choices
Test forms with real users entering real data — synthetic test data hides length and format edge cases
Measure field-level abandonment (which fields do users leave the form on?) — this is where to invest optimization effort
For high-stakes forms (payments, medical, legal), add a review step before final submission