Center for Civic Design

3/ Be clear about what voters can do with the form. Make sure the title clearly reflects the purpose, from the voters’ perspective.

4/ Make sure users understand the questions. Use simple, active, easily understood words for field labels.

5/ Make it possible to answer every question. They worry about leaving answers blank – even when it would be OK to do so.

6/ Make the layout neat and tidy. Forms that look well-organized are easier to fill in, and give users more confidence.

7/ Make the space for the answer fit the format. Make fields big enough to fit the expected answer.

8/ Make legal text easier to read. Simplify when you can. Break the clauses in declarations and affidavits into separate bullets.

9/ Make signature fields stand out. Using an X to mark the location for a signature helps people get it right.

10/ Put instructions and error messages where they will be noticed. Put instructions, hints, and warnings before the field, not after.