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Forms

Names

Ask for a user’s name when it is needed to provide a service.

When to ask for a user’s name

Only ask for the user’s name when it is part of business requirements.

How to ask for a user’s name

Labelling

‘First name’ and ‘Last name’ should be split out as this information is collected separately, and stored in a database. Asking for ‘Full name’ should be avoided as each data point should be split out individually (this is the way we do this currently at NewsCorp).

‘Last name’ should be used instead of ‘Surname’ as it is a clearer description of the information we require and is commonplace across other products and internationally.

Do

  • Split out ‘First name and ‘Last name’.

  • Fields must be long enough to accommodate the names of your users. You should use population data or data about your existing users to do this.

  • Support all the characters users may need to enter, including numbers and symbols.

  • Allow autofill so the user can easily fill out this form based on saved personal data on their device.

  • Stack first name and last name on top of each other rather than side by side so each piece of information is dealt with individually.

  • Only ask for a middle name/s if it is a clear business requirement, most of the time it is not needed and is additional information that the user has to enter.

Don’t

  • Ask for a middle name - it’s additional information that the user has to enter, that the business doesn’t need.

  • Include hint text - this is straightforward information to collect.

  • Spellcheck user’s name.

  • Ask for title - it’s not useful information for the business and it may reveal a user's gender when they don’t want to provide it.

Error state variants

  • Please enter your first name (If empty)

  • Please enter your last name (If empty)

  • You cannot use special characters in your name. (If special character used).

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Passwords

Use a password entry field when asking users to create an account or log in.

Learn more about password entry fields

Passwords

Use a password entry field when asking users to create an account or log in.