Good forms = fewer calls: The power of UX writing

Background

As one of only two UX designers in a large local government (10,000+ staff), I worked on a key aspect of digital services: online forms.

Forms might not seem exciting, but imagine the internet without them. No purchases, no bookings, no applications. Websites would only offer information, but no interaction. We interact with forms constantly, often without realising. Buying something online? Form. Signing up for an event? Form. Ever noticed how many people choose to save their details in their browser? That’s because filling out a form is tedious. But they are essential, making them one of the most important UX challenges to get right.

We always ensured that non-digital alternatives were available for those who needed them, but making online forms as intuitive as possible meant more people could successfully complete their requests without assistance.

My role

My role in these projects focused on content design—creating clear, intuitive experiences. This involved refining the wording, structure, and flow of questions. Key responsibilities included:

  • Structuring questions for clarity and logical flow
  • Writing concise, user-friendly content
  • Ensuring accessibility and plain language compliance
  • Crafting clear error messages and help text
  • Collaborating with service teams to translate jargon into everyday language

While product managers gathered service requirements, my role was to challenge assumptions and translate them into user-friendly, accessible forms. I’m a strong advocate for plain language, and I ensured that jargon—often used unconsciously by service teams—was converted into clear, simple content. Sometimes, this meant asking for the third time, "Are you sure a typical user will understand this word?" Usability testing would reveal any confusing questions, but the stronger the initial design, the more valuable the insights from testing would be.

The impact of well-designed forms

In local government, every customer interaction has a cost. A well-structured online form is far more cost-effective than a phone call to customer services. By improving form usability, we reduced the likelihood of users abandoning forms or calling for help.

A good form should:

  • Ask only necessary questions—reducing cognitive load and respecting users’ time
  • Follow logical conventions—making forms feel familiar and easy to complete
  • Use clear, plain language—ensuring accessibility for all users
  • Provide helpful error messages—guiding users to recover smoothly
  • Undergo usability testing—identifying and fixing issues before launch
  • Maintain accessibility standards—ensuring WCAG compliance and screen reader compatibility

Projects: a range of challenges

I worked on a variety of forms, each with distinct user needs and challenges. Many replaced outdated paper-based processes, while others required careful handling of sensitive information.

When designing a form, understanding the full context was key. In local government, this meant working closely with service owners—who provided the service—and customer services—who handled user queries.

Notes from a high-volume service: garden waste licence form

  • A seasonal surge in demand meant that clear questions and flow were essential to avoid a flood of customer service calls.
  • We used plain language and structured questions carefully to eliminate ambiguity.
  • We added help text to explain why specific details were required, reducing confusion.

For the garden waste licence form, we knew from the service team that requests peaked at the start of the year. High online demand often led to increased calls to customer service. To prevent excess query calls to customer services, we tested the form rigorously to ensure clarity—even with complexities like ensuring users selected the correct bin type and quantity.

Notes from a form that collects sensitive information: safeguarding children form

  • This form had fairly low submission volume but high impact.
  • Accuracy was of the utmost importance—misinterpretation could delay urgent action.
  • We ensured that instructions were crystal clear to support accurate reporting.

This form was inherently long—the children’s social care service needed detailed information to assess concerns. The challenge was that users varied widely—they could be a concerned neighbour, a grandparent, a parent or even a child reporting their own situation. Due to these variations, some users might not know certain answers, so we worked with the service team to refine questions, ensuring we didn’t alienate users. If the form was being completed by a child, it was essential that the language was simple and approachable. To ensure we got this right, I researched best practices from Childline, adapting our language accordingly.

Notes from a long voluntary input form: event notification form

  • Users were not required to complete this form, so it had to be as effortless as possible.
  • It was a long form with no save-and-return function, so we eliminated unnecessary questions.
  • We added concise help text to explain why each section was necessary.

This form was one of our longest due to the health and safety requirements of event planning. The complexity increased when we considered who might be filling out the form and what types of events were being registered. We had to create multiple versions of contact detail questions—some asked in the third person, others in the second person, depending on whether the event was organised by an individual or an organisation. While this added complexity for developers, it saved time in the long run by preventing the back-and-forth "email tennis" that often occurs when key details are missing.

Designing for accessibility

Our forms followed a our design system which aligned with GDS (Government Digital Service) standards and WCAG 2.2 guidelines. The components and patterns within our design system are already accessible by design. With the visual and technical framework mostly in place, my focus was on content—ensuring wording, question order, and usability aligned with accessibility best practices.

Key considerations included:

  • Using the ‘one-thing-per-page’ pattern to reduce cognitive load and optimise for mobile users
  • Writing in plain language to support users with different literacy levels or English as a second language
  • Ensuring error messages were instructive, helping users recover easily

Keys to success

Managing stakeholder needs and expectations was crucial for building successful forms. Early collaboration helped prevent last-minute changes and ensured that every question served a purpose.

Usability testing was essential—participants often behave in unexpected ways, and uncovering these insights before launch helps prevent form dropouts and errors.

By integrating UX and content design into form development, we reduced customer service calls related to form confusion and increased online completion rates. This showed that small content decisions can have a significant impact on both users and the organisation.

Conclusion

Having worked on so many forms, I’ve learned that great form design goes beyond words on a page—it’s about reducing friction, improving accessibility, and making digital services work for everyone.

Working on these forms and being part of such a small UX team strengthened my skills in advocating for users and taking a human-centred design approach to content design.

Through thoughtful content design, user research, and collaboration, I helped transform complex processes into seamless digital experiences. And in local government, where every interaction matters, that makes all the difference.