- #1: Cut Down on the Keystrokes
- #2: Maintain Context and Readability
- #3: Minimize Gestural Interaction
- It's Still a Band-Aid
#3: Minimize Gestural Interaction
Another significant way to improve desktop web forms for mobile users is to minimize the amount of interaction required to complete the form.
First, organize dropdown menus to offer the most likely or most logical options first. For example, a Country menu, when most of a site's users live in the United States, can list United States at the top of the menu rather than the bottom, in alphabetical order.
Second, consolidate multiple fields into a single field whenever possible and appropriate. When a user needs to enter an address, for example, rather than split this up in to Street Number and Street, make it a single Address field.
Finally, use larger hit areas on form elements such as buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and so on, so that users don't have to zoom into a page to tap an option.