Drupal Forms User Guide

Questions will always appear before each element. We can also add other types of microcopy to each question to help users understand the question if it is more complex. These include descriptions, more and help elements. They are all set in the General tab of a field's settings.

Asking questions

Always ask questions that are relevant to the purpose of the form and easy to understand. Consider:

• is the question essential and relevant, particularly sensitive questions around age, ethnicity etc.?
• how will the user perceive the question?
• what circumstances will the user be in when needing to answer the question (state of panic or emergency, or simply enquiring about something)?
• can the question be broken down into a series of simpler questions?
• can open questions be reframed as closed questions?

When considering how to ask your question, err on the side of statements (name, email) where possible, rather than litter the page with needless question marks (What is your name? What is your email address?). Users will be in active participation mode filling in a form, so will not want to be hampered by verbose questions that could be simple instructions of one or two words.

If a form lends itself more to questions over statements, keep things consistent and keep that style through the whole form.

When to use descriptions, more and help

We can add additional copy to support the user in filling in questions that may need additional explanation.

For example: 

• exactly what information you’re asking for and why
• where to find it
• the format to give information in
• how you’ll use their personal information
• the consequences of making one choice over another
• how to fix any errors
• explaining legal jargon, if it cannot be replaced with plain English 

Do not: 

• explain the interface
• overuse hint text

Description 

If added, this appears in a grey box below a field. Use it to give important instructions about how to answer the question.

Help

This appears when you hover over (desktop) or tap (mobile) the question mark symbol next to the field. Use this for extra information that only some users will need. Avoid using these as they aren't very accessible.

More

This is a block of text that can be expanded and closed with a More... link. It sits beneath the question. 

Use this where some user might need more context around the question, but you don't:

• want them to have to navigate away from the form to read it
• clutter the page with lots of potentially irrelevant information

For example, terms and conditions, or relevant rules and regulations.

Required fields

If a field is mandatory (required) and it's left blank, a message pops up next to it, saying 'Please fill in this field.' You can change this default message to give more specific help or context. You'll find it under Form validation in the General tab.

Example form

The form below contains examples of all the elements listed above: