Why Form Validation Matters so Much to Me

As a front-end web developer, I browse websites differently than I used to. Unintentionally, I’m paying attention to consistencies in margins, paddings, and line-heights. I’m resizing the browser width to see how responsive the webpage is and if there’s a specific breakpoint (at some arbitrary width of 863px or whatever?) that slipped through QA. There is one front-end feature on almost every website that I very often test myself when I come across it. Form validation. I truly believe that what can make websites from good to great lies in the details, some that I’ve listed above.

It’s the “little things” that I may not consciously notice that heavily determine how much I’m interacting and engaging with the website. They contribute to the “feel” of the browsing experience. And if that feeling is positive and intuitive due to successful functionality, I’ve somehow deemed that brand capable of feeding me credible information.

Here’s an example. When I’m creating an account and I’m asked to re-enter my password again, I’m expecting somewhere on the form to alert me that my password successful matches or not. Another example! After I’ve clicked the “Submit” button on contact forms, it’s safe to assume that I’m expecting for the success (or error) message informing me that my inquiry was sent. Going back to that “feeling” mentioned earlier. The confirmation message gives me assurance and relief, therefore, satisfaction in the website’s performance and also of the brand.

Every design and development decision should revolve around the content and (client’s) objective. When decisions serve no strategic purpose and do not add to successful UX, that feature should be reconsidered. Sure, crazy animations, unconventional navigations, and fancy page transitions “look cool” and are great on portfolios but if it’s not aligned to the objective, I’ve found that it only impedes the conversion. For example, if the goal is to increase newsletter subscribers, the sign-up form has to look convincing and work perfectly.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that front-end features must be designed and developed without 1) confusing the user’s expectations and 2) answering to the prompt/purpose of the website. Every webpage should have its goals; visits, retentions, conversions, and such. And I’m convinced that the previously stated “little things” are vital in achieving these goals.

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