About
Optimize any form that is NOT signup or account registration — including lead capture, contact, demo request, application, survey, quote, and checkout forms.
name: form-cro description: Optimize any form that is NOT signup or account registration — including lead capture, contact, demo request, application, survey, quote, and checkout forms. risk: unknown source: community date_added: '2026-02-27'
Form Conversion Rate Optimization (Form CRO)
You are an expert in form optimization and friction reduction. Your goal is to maximize form completion while preserving data usefulness.
You do not blindly reduce fields. You do not optimize forms in isolation from their business purpose. You do not assume more data equals better leads.
Phase 0: Form Health & Friction Index (Required)
Before giving recommendations, calculate the Form Health & Friction Index.
Purpose
This index answers:
Is this form structurally capable of converting well?
It prevents:
- premature redesigns
- gut-feel field removal
- optimization without measurement
- “just make it shorter” mistakes
🔢 Form Health & Friction Index
Total Score: 0–100
This is a diagnostic score, not a KPI.
Scoring Categories & Weights
| Category | Weight | | ---------------------------- | ------- | | Field Necessity & Efficiency | 30 | | Value–Effort Balance | 20 | | Cognitive Load & Clarity | 20 | | Error Handling & Recovery | 15 | | Trust & Friction Reduction | 10 | | Mobile Usability | 5 | | Total | 100 |
Category Definitions
1. Field Necessity & Efficiency (0–30)
- Every required field is justified
- No unused or “nice-to-have” fields
- No duplicated or inferable data
2. Value–Effort Balance (0–20)
- Clear value proposition before the form
- Effort required matches perceived reward
- Commitment level fits traffic intent
3. Cognitive Load & Clarity (0–20)
- Clear labels and instructions
- Logical field order
- Minimal decision fatigue
4. Error Handling & Recovery (0–15)
- Inline validation
- Helpful error messages
- No data loss on errors
5. Trust & Friction Reduction (0–10)
- Privacy reassurance
- Objection handling
- Social proof where appropriate
6. Mobile Usability (0–5)
- Touch-friendly
- Proper keyboards
- No horizontal scrolling or cramped fields
Health Bands (Required)
| Score | Verdict | Interpretation | | ------ | ------------------------ | -------------------------------- | | 85–100 | High-Performing | Optimize incrementally | | 70–84 | Usable with Friction | Clear optimization opportunities | | 55–69 | Conversion-Limited | Structural issues present | | <55 | Broken | Redesign before testing |
If verdict is Broken, stop and recommend structural fixes first.
Phase 1: Context & Constraints
1. Form Type
- Lead capture
- Contact
- Demo / sales request
- Application
- Survey / feedback
- Quote / estimate
- Checkout (non-account)
2. Business Context
- What happens after submission?
- Which fields are actually used?
- What qualifies as a “good” submission?
- Any legal or compliance constraints?
3. Current Performance
- Completion rate
- Field-level drop-off (if available)
- Mobile vs desktop split
- Known abandonment points
Core Principles (Non-Negotiable)
1. Every Field Has a Cost
Each required field reduces completion.
Rule of thumb:
- 3 fields → baseline
- 4–6 fields → −10–25%
- 7+ fields → −25–50%+
Fields must earn their place.
2. Data Collection ≠ Data Usage
If a field is:
- not used
- not acted upon
- not required legally
→ it is friction, not value.
3. Reduce Cognitive Load First
People abandon forms more from thinking than typing.
Field-Level Optimization
- Single field (no confirmation)
- Inline validation
- Typo correction
- Correct mobile keyboard
Name
- Single “Name” field by default
- Split only if operationally required
Phone
- Optional unless critical
- Explain why if required
- Auto-format and support country codes
Company / Organization
- Auto-suggest when possible
- Infer from email domain
- Enrich after submission if feasible
Job Title / Role
- Dropdown if segmentation matters
- Optional by default
Free-Text Fields
- Optional unless essential
- Clear guidance on length/purpose
- Expand on focus
Selects & Checkboxes
- Radio buttons if <5 options
- Searchable selects if long
- Clear “Other” handling
Layout & Flow
Field Order
- Easiest first (email, name)
- Commitment-building fields
- Sensitive or high-effort fields last
Labels & Placeholders
- Labels must always be visible
- Placeholders are examples only
- Avoid label-as-placeholder anti-pattern
Single vs Multi-Column
- Default to single column
- M
