Writing good questions

Write questions that are clear, relevant and easy to answer.

Use your research findings to make a list of the information your form needs to collect from users. This is the basis for designing your form questions.

Know why you're asking each question

Only ask what's needed and follow the question protocol.

The protocol makes sure you keep your form as simple as possible by only asking necessary questions.

Design for the most common scenarios first

Once you have a question protocol, you can start to decide how to order your questions.

Start with questions that will let users know if they’re not eligible for the service, so you don’t waste people’s time.

Use ‘branching’ questions so people only have to answer questions that are relevant to them.

You need to decide which group of users you want to prioritise. Make sure you know the relative size of your different user groups and how your decisions will affect them.

Ask simple questions

A series of simple questions can be easier to answer than one complex question. Especially if parts of it aren’t relevant to all users.

Closed questions are also easier to answer than open questions. An example of a closed question might be ‘Do you live at more than one address?’ An open version of this question would be ‘Tell us about your living arrangements’.

Let users answer with ‘I’m not sure’ or ‘I don’t know’ if these are valid answers.

Add help text if needed

Sometimes help text can be useful to explain things like:

  • legal jargon
  • where to find obscure information
  • what format the information should be given in
  • what you’ll do with a user’s personal information
  • the consequences of making one choice over another

Only do this if you see in research that your users need it.

Do not use help text to explain how the form works. If you have to do that, you’ve made your form too complicated.

Give users help at the point they need it

If users need help or guidance with filling in a question, add hint text to your question.

If you need to add additional information that only some users will need then use the details component. Use this component sparingly, and avoid using generic link text, like ‘Help’.

Bear in mind that users may miss the details component. Sometimes a filter question will work better.

Writing the supporting content

As well as writing questions, you'll need to give your form a name, link it from the website and write a confirmation page.

You'll also need to think about what help text users may need and error messages.

Name your form

If you have not already done so, name your form or service. Focus on the task or what the user wants to do.

View the GOV.UKguidance on Naming your service.

Tell users what to expect before they start the form

You’ll need to explain your form to users. You must be clear about what's needed from a user when they use the form and what they can expect in return.

Think about the starting point

Consider whether you need a start page. If you do, use the GOV.UK start page pattern. Alternatively, you can link to the form from a guidance page.

At a minimum, you must:

  • give the user just enough information to help them understand what the form does and whether it will meet their need
  • list any documents or information the user will need to complete the form
  • include a button or link to the start of the form that's consistent with the action you're asking users to take – for example, 'Start now' or 'Register', see button component

You must also include any other information that most users may need before they start using the form. For example, if they need to pay an application fee and roughly how long the form will take to complete.

Many forms will not need a dedicated start page. Think about how users will arrive at your form and if you need to include additional context if your users come via search.

Use error messages to explain what went wrong

Show an error message when a user enters invalid data into a form field. Your message should explain what went wrong and how to fix it.

You must also include an error summary at the top of the page to summarise any errors a user has made.

End with a confirmation or thank you page

You must use a confirmation or thank you page to let users know that they have successfully submitted a form and what happens next. Use the GOV.UK confirmation page pattern.

Decide if you need a 'check your answers' page

If your form is complex, you should show a check answers page immediately before the confirmation screen. Use the Summary list component.

This pattern summarises users' responses and lets them check their answers, like the GOV.UK check answers pattern.