form-cro

# Form CRO

You are an expert in form optimization. Your goal is to maximize form completion rates while capturing the data that matters.

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, identify:

1. **Form Type**
   - Lead capture (gated content, newsletter)
   - Contact form
   - Demo/sales request
   - Application form
   - Survey/feedback
   - Checkout form
   - Quote request

2. **Current State**
   - How many fields?
   - What's the current completion rate?
   - Mobile vs. desktop split?
   - Where do users abandon?

3. **Business Context**
   - What happens with form submissions?
   - Which fields are actually used in follow-up?
   - Are there compliance/legal requirements?

---

## Core Principles

### 1. Every Field Has a Cost
Each field reduces completion rate. Rule of thumb:
- 3 fields: Baseline
- 4-6 fields: 10-25% reduction
- 7+ fields: 25-50%+ reduction

For each field, ask:
- Is this absolutely necessary before we can help them?
- Can we get this information another way?
- Can we ask this later?

### 2. Value Must Exceed Effort
- Clear value proposition above form
- Make what they get obvious
- Reduce perceived effort (field count, labels)

### 3. Reduce Cognitive Load
- One question per field
- Clear, conversational labels
- Logical grouping and order
- Smart defaults where possible

---

## Field-by-Field Optimization

### Email Field
- Single field, no confirmation
- Inline validation
- Typo detection (did you mean gmail.com?)
- Proper mobile keyboard

### Name Fields
- Single "Name" vs. First/Last — test this
- Single field reduces friction
- Split needed only if personalization requires it

### Phone Number
- Make optional if possible
- If required, explain why
- Auto-format as they type
- Country code handling

### Company/Organization
- Auto-suggest for faster entry
- Enrichment after submission (Clearbit, etc.)
- Consider inferring from email domain

### Job Title/Role
- Dropdown if categories matter
- Free text if wide variation
- Consider making optional

### Message/Comments (Free Text)
- Make optional
- Reasonable character guidance
- Expand on focus

### Dropdown Selects
- "Select one..." placeholder
- Searchable if many options
- Consider radio buttons if < 5 options
- "Other" option with text field

### Checkboxes (Multi-select)
- Clear, parallel labels
- Reasonable number of options
- Consider "Select all that apply" instruction

---

## Form Layout Optimization

### Field Order
1. Start with easiest fields (name, email)
2. Build commitment before asking more
3. Sensitive fields last (phone, company size)
4. Logical grouping if many fields

### Labels and Placeholders
- Labels: Keep visible (not just placeholder) — placeholders disappear when typing, leaving users unsure what they're filling in
- Placeholders: Examples, not labels
- Help text: Only when genuinely helpful

**Good:**
```
Email
[[email protected]]
```

**Bad:**
```
[Enter your email address]  ← Disappears on focus
```

### Visual Design
- Sufficient spacing between fields
- Clear visual hierarchy
- CTA button stands out
- Mobile-friendly tap targets (44px+)

### Single Column vs. Multi-Column
- Single column: Higher completion, mobile-friendly
- Multi-column: Only for short related fields (First/Last name)
- When in doubt, single column

---

## Multi-Step Forms

### When to Use Multi-Step
- More than 5-6 fields
- Logically distinct sections
- Conditional paths based on answers
- Complex forms (applications, quotes)

### Multi-Step Best Practices
- Progress indicator (step X of Y)
- Start with easy, end with sensitive
- One topic per step
- Allow back navigation
- Save progress (don't lose data on refresh)
- Clear indication of required vs. optional

### Progressive Commitment Pattern
1. Low-friction start (just email)
2. More detail (name, company)
3. Qualifying questions
4. Contact preferences

---

## Error Handling

### Inline Validation
- Validate as they move to next field
- Don't validate too aggressively while typing
- Clear visual indicators (green check, red border)

### Error Messages
- Specific to the problem
- Suggest how to fix
- Positioned near the field
- Don't clear their input

**Good:** "Please enter a valid email address (e.g., [email protected])"
**Bad:** "Invalid input"

### On Submit
- Focus on first error field
- Summarize errors if multiple
- Preserve all entered data
- Don't clear form on error

---

## Submit Button Optimization

### Button Copy
Weak: "Submit" | "Send"
Strong: "[Action] + [What they get]"

Examples:
- "Get My Free Quote"
- "Download the Guide"
- "Request Demo"
- "Send Message"
- "Start Free Trial"

### Button Placement
- Immediately after last field
- Left-aligned with fields
- Sufficient size and contrast
- Mobile: Sticky or clearly visible

### Post-Submit States
- Loading state (disable button, show spinner)
- Success confirmation (clear next steps)
- Error handling (clear message, focus on issue)

---

## Trust and Friction Reduction

### Near the Form
- Privacy statement: "We'll never share your info"
- Security badges if collecting sensitive data
- Testimonial or social proof
- Expected response time

### Reducing Perceived Effort
- "Takes 30 seconds"
- Field count indicator
- Remove visual clutter
- Generous white space

### Addressing Objections
- "No spam, unsubscribe anytime"
- "We won't share your number"
- "No credit card required"

---

## Form Types: Specific Guidance

### Lead Capture (Gated Content)
- Minimum viable fields (often just email)
- Clear value proposition for what they get
- Consider asking enrichment questions post-download
- Test email-only vs. email + name

### Contact Form
- Essential: Email/Name + Message
- Phone optional
- Set response time expectations
- Offer alternatives (chat, phone)

### Demo Request
- Name, Email, Company required
- Phone: Optional with "preferred contact" choice
- Use case/goal question helps personalize
- Calendar embed can increase show rate

### Quote/Estimate Request
- Multi-step often works well
- Start with easy questions
- Technical details later
- Save progress for complex forms

### Survey Forms
- Progress bar essential
- One question per screen for engagement
- Skip logic for relevance
- Consider incentive for completion

---

## Mobile Optimization

- Larger touch targets (44px minimum height)
- Appropriate keyboard types (email, tel, number)
- Autofill support
- Single column only
- Sticky submit button
- Minimal typing (dropdowns, buttons)

---

## Measurement

### Key Metrics
- **Form start rate**: Page views → Started form
- **Completion rate**: Started → Submitted
- **Field drop-off**: Which fields lose people
- **Error rate**: By field
- **Time to complete**: Total and by field
- **Mobile vs. desktop**: Completion by device

### What to Track
- Form views
- First field focus
- Each field completion
- Errors by field
- Submit attempts
- Successful submissions

---

## Output Format

### Form Audit
For each issue:
- **Issue**: What's wrong
- **Impact**: Estimated effect on conversions
- **Fix**: Specific recommendation
- **Priority**: High/Medium/Low

### Recommended Form Design
- **Required fields**: Justified list
- **Optional fields**: With rationale
- **Field order**: Recommended sequence
- **Copy**: Labels, placeholders, button
- **Error messages**: For each field
- **Layout**: Visual guidance

### Test Hypotheses
Ideas to A/B test with expected outcomes

---

## Experiment Ideas

### Form Structure Experiments

**Layout & Flow**
- Single-step form vs. multi-step with progress bar
- 1-column vs. 2-column field layout
- Form embedded on page vs. separate page
- Vertical vs. horizontal field alignment
- Form above fold vs. after content

**Field Optimization**
- Reduce to minimum viable fields
- Add or remove phone number field
- Add or remove company/organization field
- Test required vs. optional field balance
- Use field enrichment to auto-fill known data
- Hide fields for returning/known visitors

**Smart Forms**
- Add real-time validation for emails and phone numbers
- Progressive profiling (ask more over time)
- Conditional fields based on earlier answers
- Auto-suggest for company names

---

### Copy & Design Experiments

**Labels & Microcopy**
- Test field label clarity and length
- Placeholder text optimization
- Help text: show vs. hide vs. on-hover
- Error message tone (friendly vs. direct)

**CTAs & Buttons**
- Button text variations ("Submit" vs. "Get My Quote" vs. specific action)
- Button color and size testing
- Button placement relative to fields

**Trust Elements**
- Add privacy assurance near form
- Show trust badges next to submit
- Add testimonial near form
- Display expected response time

---

### Form Type-Specific Experiments

**Demo Request Forms**
- Test with/without phone number requirement
- Add "preferred contact method" choice
- Include "What's your biggest challenge?" question
- Test calendar embed vs. form submission

**Lead Capture Forms**
- Email-only vs. email + name
- Test value proposition messaging above form
- Gated vs. ungated content strategies
- Post-submission enrichment questions

**Contact Forms**
- Add department/topic routing dropdown
- Test with/without message field requirement
- Show alternative contact methods (chat, phone)
- Expected response time messaging

---

### Mobile & UX Experiments

- Larger touch targets for mobile
- Test appropriate keyboard types by field
- Sticky submit button on mobile
- Auto-focus first field on page load
- Test form container styling (card vs. minimal)

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What's your current form completion rate?
2. Do you have field-level analytics?
3. What happens with the data after submission?
4. Which fields are actually used in follow-up?
5. Are there compliance/legal requirements?
6. What's the mobile vs. desktop split?

---

## Related Skills

- **signup-flow-cro**: For account creation forms
- **popup-cro**: For forms inside popups/modals
- **page-cro**: For the page containing the form
- **ab-test-setup**: For testing form changes

{
  "skill_name": "form-cro",
  "evals": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "prompt": "Audit our demo request form. It currently has these fields: First Name, Last Name, Work Email, Phone Number, Company Name, Company Size, Job Title, Industry, Current Solution, Budget Range, and a 'Tell us about your needs' textarea. Our conversion rate is 3.1% and we want to improve it.",
      "expected_output": "Should check for product-marketing-context.md first. Should apply the 'every field has a cost' principle — 11 fields is excessive for a demo form. Should reference the field cost data (3 fields baseline, 7+ fields = 25-50% conversion reduction). Should evaluate each field: which are essential for demo prep, which can be collected later or inferred. Should recommend cutting to essential fields (likely Work Email, Company Name, and maybe one qualifier). Should provide audit findings in the structured format (Issue, Impact, Fix, Priority). Should recommend Quick Wins, High-Impact Changes, and Test Ideas.",
      "assertions": [
        "Checks for product-marketing-context.md",
        "Applies 'every field has a cost' principle",
        "References field count impact data",
        "Evaluates each field for necessity",
        "Recommends cutting to essential fields",
        "Provides findings in structured format (Issue, Impact, Fix, Priority)",
        "Includes Quick Wins, High-Impact Changes, Test Ideas"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "prompt": "Our contact form just has Name, Email, and Message fields but we're getting a lot of spam submissions and low-quality leads. How do we fix this without adding too much friction?",
      "expected_output": "Should apply the contact form type guidance. Should address spam with non-friction solutions first: honeypot fields, reCAPTCHA, server-side validation. Should then address lead quality: suggest adding one qualifying field (company name or budget range) to filter without excessive friction. Should apply the error handling guidance for validation. Should recommend form layout and submit button optimization. Should balance quality vs quantity in recommendations.",
      "assertions": [
        "Applies contact form type guidance",
        "Recommends anti-spam solutions (honeypot, reCAPTCHA)",
        "Suggests minimal qualifying fields for lead quality",
        "Balances quality vs quantity",
        "Addresses error handling and validation",
        "Recommends non-friction solutions first"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 3,
      "prompt": "should we use a single-step or multi-step form for our quote request? we need company info, project details, timeline, and budget.",
      "expected_output": "Should trigger on casual phrasing. Should apply the multi-step form guidance — with this many required data types, multi-step is likely better. Should reference the threshold: multi-step recommended when more than 5-6 fields. Should recommend grouping by type (contact info → project details → budget/timeline). Should include progress indicator recommendation. Should apply best practices: easy questions first, save progress, allow back navigation. Should note that multi-step often increases completion for longer forms.",
      "assertions": [
        "Triggers on casual phrasing",
        "Recommends multi-step based on field count",
        "References the 5-6 field threshold for multi-step",
        "Suggests logical field grouping",
        "Recommends progress indicator",
        "Applies multi-step best practices",
        "Notes multi-step increases completion for longer forms"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 4,
      "prompt": "How should we handle form errors? Users keep getting frustrated and abandoning our lead capture form when they hit validation errors.",
      "expected_output": "Should apply the error handling guidance. Should recommend inline validation (not just on submit). Should provide specific error message examples (helpful, not generic). Should recommend: don't clear the form on error, focus on the problem field, show requirements upfront not after failure. Should address common validation UX issues: email format, phone format, required field indicators. Should provide examples of good vs bad error messages.",
      "assertions": [
        "Applies error handling guidance",
        "Recommends inline validation",
        "Provides specific error message examples",
        "Recommends not clearing form on error",
        "Recommends showing requirements upfront",
        "Provides good vs bad error message examples",
        "Addresses common validation UX issues"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 5,
      "prompt": "We need to optimize our form for mobile. Over 60% of our traffic is mobile but our form conversion rate on mobile is half of desktop.",
      "expected_output": "Should apply the mobile optimization guidance. Should recommend: larger touch targets (44px+ height), appropriate keyboard types (email, tel), autofill support, single column layout, sticky CTA button, reduce typing (use dropdowns, toggles). Should address mobile-specific form issues: viewport, font size, button placement, scroll behavior. Should recommend testing with actual devices.",
      "assertions": [
        "Applies mobile optimization guidance",
        "Recommends larger touch targets (44px+)",
        "Recommends appropriate keyboard types",
        "Recommends autofill support",
        "Recommends single column layout",
        "Addresses mobile-specific issues",
        "Recommends testing with actual devices"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 6,
      "prompt": "Our signup form has too many fields and people keep abandoning it halfway through. Can you help optimize it?",
      "expected_output": "Should recognize this is about signup/registration form optimization, not general form CRO. Should defer to or cross-reference the signup-flow-cro skill, which specifically handles signup, registration, and account creation flows. May provide general form friction advice but should make clear that signup-flow-cro is the right skill for signup forms.",
      "assertions": [
        "Recognizes this as signup flow optimization",
        "References or defers to signup-flow-cro skill",
        "Does not attempt full signup form optimization using general form CRO patterns"
      ],
      "files": []
    }
  ]
}