Label Placement in Forms

Test 3: Left-Aligned Labels Above Input Fields

From the results of our second test, we knew that the nearer a label is to its input field, the more quickly users could move from the label to the input field. So, we were not surprised when we noticed that most of the fixations were right on the input fields rather than on the labels, as the eyetracking data in Figure 3 shows.

Placing a label right over its input field permitted users to capture both elements with a single eye movement. Also, if a label indicated data that was very familiar to users—for example, their first name or family name—users did not fixate on the label separately to read it. They were able to view both the label and the input field in the same foveal area; thus eliminating the need for additional fixations and saccades.

Note—For a brief introduction to how human eyes work, take a look at my article “Introduction to Eyetracking.”

Moreover, we measured shorter saccade times of just 50ms in cases where users did move from a label to its input field. Recall that, in the case of left-justified labels, the saccade times were nearly ten times as long. So, users were able to complete the form very quickly and with a reduced cognitive load.

After two test cases in which the drop-down list box proved to be the most prominent form element, I wanted to check whether its position would influence the results. Not at all. Independent of its position, it continued to attract users’ attention. In all cases, we found it to be, indeed, the most eye-catching form element. It’s more prominent than even the submit button.

I’d also like to point out that, in this case, none of the expert users needed to recheck the corresponding label; though some novice users did need to recheck the label.

Test 4: Bold Labels Above Input Fields

I thought this would be more a sub-case than a full-fledged test case, but the differences in the results we obtained led me to see this as a separate case. I had in mind what Luke had said in his article “Visible Narratives: Understanding Visual Organization.”

“In this layout [with labels above the input fields], it’s advisable to use bold fonts for input field labels. This increases their visual weight and brings them to the foreground of the layout.”—Luke Wroblewski

However, bold labels resulted in an almost sixty-percent increase in saccade time to move from the label to the input field—from 50ms without bold labels to 80ms with bold labels—with no apparent advantage from the more prominent labeling. Bold labels were more difficult for users to read and perceive—probably because there was more visual confusion between the bold text and the heavy adjacent borders of the input fields. Figure 4 shows the eyetracking data for this test.

I’ve reviewed these results with Luke, and we’ve agreed that the absence of any visual design on our test pages might have modified the impact of the bold labels. However, as I said at the beginning of this article, what we tested was performance in terms of time, or speed, which required the absence of any other visual noise, and the times we recorded for bold labels were fairly poor.

Conclusions

Some interesting guidelines arose from this brief analysis of our test results. Coupling the following guidelines with Luke Wroblewski’s form design guidelines will help you to build the best form possible in each different situation.

• Label position—Placing a label above an input field works better in most cases, because users aren’t forced to look separately at the label and the input field. Be careful to visually separate the label for the next input field from the previous input field.
• Alignment of labels—In most cases, when placing labels to the left of input fields, using left-aligned labels imposes a heavy cognitive workload on users. Placing labels above input fields is preferable, but if you choose to place them to the left of input fields, at least make them right aligned.
• Bold labels—Reading bold labels is a little bit more difficult for users, so it’s preferable to use plain text labels. However, when using bold labels, you might want to style the input fields not to have heavy borders.
• Drop-down list boxes—Use them with care, because they’re so eye-catching. Either use them for important data or, when using them for less important data, place them well below more important input fields.
• Label placement for drop-down list boxes—To ensure users are immediately aware of what you’re asking for, instead of using a separate label, make the default value for a drop-down list box the label. This will work for very long lists of items, because a user already has the purpose of the input field in mind before the default value disappears. 

Acknowledgement—I would like to thank Magda Giacintucci, of Consultechnology IMR, for her help, both in preparing the lab setup and conducting the tests.