Agent skill

form-cro

Form optimization for lead capture, contact, demo request, application, and checkout forms. Covers field-cost analysis, multi-step form design, validation UX, mobile optimization, and A/B testing frameworks.

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npx add-skill https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/business-growth/form-cro

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tags
cro forms lead-capture conversion-optimization ux
author
borghei
updated
1774915200
version
1.0.0
category
business-growth

SKILL.md

Form CRO

Production-grade form optimization framework covering field-cost analysis, layout engineering, multi-step form architecture, validation UX patterns, mobile-specific optimization, and structured A/B test design. Applicable to lead capture, contact, demo request, application, survey, and checkout forms. For signup/registration flows, use signup-flow-cro.

Table of Contents

  • Initial Assessment
  • Field-Cost Analysis Framework
  • Multi-Step vs Single-Step Decision
  • Field Design Patterns
  • Validation UX
  • CTA and Submit Button Optimization
  • Mobile Form Optimization
  • Trust and Context Elements
  • Form Type Playbooks
  • A/B Test Framework
  • Metrics and Measurement
  • Output Artifacts
  • Related Skills

Initial Assessment

Required Context

Question Why It Matters
What type of form? (lead capture, contact, demo, application, checkout) Different types have different optimal field counts
How many fields currently? Establishes baseline friction level
What is the current completion rate? Benchmark for improvement
Where do users abandon? (if field-level analytics exist) Identifies the specific friction point
Mobile vs desktop split? Mobile forms need separate optimization
What happens with submitted data? Determines which fields are truly necessary
Which fields are actually used in follow-up? Often reveals 30-50% of fields are never used
Any compliance requirements? (GDPR, HIPAA) Constrains what can be removed

Field-Cost Analysis Framework

Every field has a cost measured in abandonment. The question is not "what data would be nice to have" but "what data is worth the conversion loss."

Field Cost Matrix

Field Type Estimated Abandonment Cost Justification Threshold
Email Baseline (near zero for gated content) Always justified for lead forms
First name +2-3% drop Justified if personalization drives follow-up
Last name +2-3% drop Rarely justified for first touch
Phone number +5-10% drop Only if sales will call within 24 hours
Company name +3-5% drop Justified for B2B qualification
Company size +3-5% drop Justified only if routing decisions depend on it
Job title +3-5% drop Can often be enriched post-submission
Industry +2-3% drop Can often be enriched post-submission
Message/textarea +5-8% drop Justified for contact forms, not for lead capture
Budget +8-12% drop Only justified for high-intent demo/sales forms
Custom question +3-5% per question Must directly affect lead routing or qualification

The Enrichment Test

Before including any field, ask: Can this be enriched after submission?

Field Enrichable? Method Keep in Form?
Company name Yes (from email domain) Clearbit, Apollo, manual lookup Remove
Company size Yes (from company name) Enrichment API Remove
Industry Yes (from company name) Enrichment API Remove
Job title Partially (from LinkedIn) Manual enrichment Remove unless critical for routing
Phone number No Must be provided Keep only if sales calls immediately
Budget No Must be stated Keep only for high-intent forms

Recommended Field Sets by Form Type

Form Type Minimum Fields Optimal Fields Maximum Fields
Newsletter signup Email Email Email + First name
Content download Email Email + First name Email + Name + Company
Contact form Email + Message Email + Name + Message Email + Name + Subject + Message
Demo request Email + Company Email + Name + Company + Role + Phone + Use case + Team size
Application form Varies by requirement -- All required fields (justified individually)

Multi-Step vs Single-Step Decision

Decision Criteria

Factor Single-Step Multi-Step
Total fields < 5 fields > 5 fields
Field complexity Simple text inputs Mix of dropdowns, checkboxes, conditional fields
User motivation Low-commitment (newsletter, content) High-commitment (demo, application)
Qualification need No routing needed Different paths based on answers
Mobile proportion < 30% mobile > 50% mobile

Multi-Step Best Practices

Step structure:

  • Step 1: Easiest fields (email, name) -- lowest friction to start
  • Step 2: Qualifying information (company, role, use case)
  • Step 3: Specific details (budget, timeline, message)

Progress indication:

  • Show progress bar with step count ("Step 2 of 3")
  • Show completion percentage
  • Label each step with what it covers ("Your Details", "Company Info", "Project Details")

Psychological commitment:

  • Once a user completes Step 1, they are 40-60% more likely to complete the form (sunk cost effect)
  • Capture the email in Step 1 so you can follow up even if they abandon later

Back navigation:

  • Always allow users to go back to previous steps
  • Preserve entered data when navigating between steps
  • Never reset the form on back navigation

Field Design Patterns

Field Labels

Pattern When to Use Example
Above-field labels Default for most forms Label sits above the input
Inline labels (floating) Space-constrained layouts Label moves from inside to above on focus
Left-aligned labels Wide desktop forms Label to the left of field
Placeholder-only labels Never Disappears on input, accessibility failure

Field Types

Data Needed Best Input Type Avoid
Email type="email" with validation Plain text input
Phone type="tel" with format mask Plain text input
Country Searchable dropdown Long static dropdown
Company size Button group (1-10, 11-50, 51-200, 200+) Free text input
Interest/topic Checkbox group (max 6 options) Multi-select dropdown
Message Textarea (3-4 rows visible) Single-line text input
Date Native date picker Three separate dropdowns

Conditional Fields

Show additional fields based on earlier answers. This reduces visible complexity while capturing necessary data.

Example: "What is your primary goal?" dropdown shows "Budget range" only if they select "Ready to buy" or "Evaluating solutions."

Rules:

  • Conditional fields appear with smooth animation (not instant jump)
  • Only 1-2 conditional fields per trigger
  • Conditional fields are never required (the trigger answer may change)

Validation UX

Real-Time vs Submit-Time Validation

Validation Type When to Use
Real-time (on blur) Email format, phone format, required fields
On submit Complex validation, server-side checks
Inline suggestions Company name auto-complete, address lookup

Error Message Design

Pattern Good Bad
Position Below the field, in context Top of form, disconnected
Tone "Please enter a valid email address" "Error: Invalid input"
Specificity "Phone must include area code" "Invalid phone number"
Color Red text + red border on field Red banner at top of page
Icon Error icon next to message No visual indicator

Success Indicators

  • Green checkmark on valid fields (especially email and phone)
  • Positive microcopy: "Looks good!" on valid email
  • Do NOT flash green/red on every keystroke -- validate on blur (when user leaves the field)

CTA and Submit Button Optimization

Button Copy Framework

Form Type Weak Copy Strong Copy Strongest Copy
Content download Submit Download Guide Get My Free Guide
Demo request Submit Request Demo Schedule My Demo
Contact form Send Send Message Get in Touch
Newsletter Subscribe Join Newsletter Get Weekly Tips
Free trial Sign Up Start Free Trial Start Building Free

Rules:

  • Use first person ("Get My..." not "Get Your...")
  • Specify what they get, not what they do
  • Include "Free" when applicable
  • Keep under 5 words

Button Design

Element Best Practice
Color High contrast against form background, consistent with brand CTA color
Size Full-width on mobile, min 44px height for touch targets
Position Immediately below last field, no gap
Loading state Show spinner + "Sending..." to prevent double-submit
Disabled state Disabled until required fields are valid (with clear visual distinction)

Mobile Form Optimization

Mobile-Specific Rules

Rule Implementation
Touch targets Minimum 44x44px for all interactive elements
Keyboard types type="email" for email, type="tel" for phone, type="number" for numeric
Auto-focus Focus first field on page load (with keyboard open)
Sticky submit Pin submit button to bottom of viewport on long forms
Input spacing Minimum 8px between fields to prevent mis-taps
Dropdown alternatives Use button groups or radio buttons instead of dropdowns on mobile
Auto-fill Support browser auto-fill for standard fields (name, email, phone, address)

Mobile vs Desktop Form Differences

Aspect Desktop Mobile
Layout 1 or 2 columns Always 1 column
Field count Up to 8 Max 5 per step
Dropdown Standard dropdown Bottom sheet or full-screen picker
Help text Hover tooltips Always-visible inline text
Validation On blur On blur + on submit summary

Trust and Context Elements

Trust Signals Near Forms

Signal Placement Impact
Privacy assurance Below submit button "We'll never share your email"
Security badges Next to form container SSL, SOC2, GDPR compliance
Testimonial Adjacent to form Social proof reduces hesitation
Response time Below submit button "We respond within 2 hours"
Subscriber/user count Above or within form "Join 10,000+ subscribers"

Context Reinforcement

Element Purpose Example
Form header Remind what they get "Get your free SEO audit report"
Bullet list above form Reinforce value "You'll get: Full site analysis, Priority fix list, 30-min review call"
Expected next step Set expectations "After submitting, we'll email your report within 24 hours"

Form Type Playbooks

Lead Capture (Gated Content)

Goal: Maximize completions while capturing qualified leads.

  • Fields: Email only (or Email + First name maximum)
  • CTA: Value-specific ("Get My Report", "Download Checklist")
  • Trust: "No spam, unsubscribe anytime"
  • Post-submit: Immediate download + thank you page + follow-up email

Demo Request

Goal: Capture qualified prospects ready for sales conversation.

  • Fields: Email + Name + Company (+ Phone and Team size optional)
  • CTA: "Schedule My Demo"
  • Trust: "30-minute call, no commitment"
  • Post-submit: Calendar booking page or confirmation with scheduling link
  • Consider: Embedded calendar (Calendly/Cal.com) instead of form

Contact Form

Goal: Enable communication while routing to correct team.

  • Fields: Email + Name + Subject dropdown + Message
  • CTA: "Send Message"
  • Trust: "We respond within [X] hours"
  • Post-submit: Confirmation with expected response time
  • Consider: Adding department/topic routing dropdown

Quote Request

Goal: Capture enough detail for accurate quoting.

  • Fields: Multi-step form with project details
  • CTA: "Get My Quote"
  • Trust: "Free quote, no obligation"
  • Post-submit: Quote delivery timeline + human follow-up

A/B Test Framework

High-Impact Tests (Run First)

Test Hypothesis Success Metric
Remove phone field Removing phone increases completion by 5-10% Completion rate
Single-step to multi-step Multi-step increases completion for 6+ field forms Completion rate + submission quality
CTA copy change Value-specific copy increases clicks by 10-20% Click-through rate
Add social proof Testimonial near form increases trust Completion rate

Medium-Impact Tests

Test Hypothesis Success Metric
Field order change Easiest fields first increases step-1 completion Step completion rates
Inline validation Real-time feedback reduces form errors Error rate + completion rate
Add progress bar Visual progress on multi-step increases completion Completion rate
Embedded calendar vs form Calendar reduces friction for demo requests Booking rate

Measurement Rules

  • Run each test for minimum 2 weeks or 200 conversions per variant (whichever is longer)
  • Track both quantity (completion rate) and quality (lead score, SQL rate)
  • A test that increases completions but decreases lead quality is not a win

Metrics and Measurement

Key Metrics

Metric Formula Benchmark
Form completion rate Submissions / Form views 20-40% for lead forms, 5-15% for long forms
Field-level drop-off Abandonment per field Identify the highest-drop field
Time to complete Avg seconds from first interaction to submit < 60s for simple forms, < 3min for complex
Error rate Users who see error / total users < 10%
Mobile completion rate Mobile submissions / Mobile form views Should be within 20% of desktop rate

Instrumentation Requirements

Track these events in your analytics:

  • Form view (impression)
  • Form interaction (first field focus)
  • Per-field completion (on blur, per field)
  • Form submission attempt
  • Form submission success
  • Form validation error (per field)

Output Artifacts

Artifact Format Description
Form Audit Report Issue/Impact/Fix/Priority table Per-field analysis with estimated abandonment cost
Recommended Field Set Justified list Required vs optional vs enrichable fields with rationale
Field Layout Specification Annotated outline Order, grouping, label style, validation rules, mobile adaptations
CTA Copy Options 3-option table Button text variants with reasoning and expected impact
A/B Test Plan Prioritized table Top 5 tests with hypothesis, variant, metric, and priority
Mobile Optimization Checklist Checkbox list Mobile-specific fixes with implementation notes

Related Skills

  • signup-flow-cro -- Use when the form is an account creation or trial registration flow. Form-cro is for lead capture, contact, and demo forms.
  • popup-cro -- Use when the form lives inside a modal or popup. Form-cro handles the form itself; popup-cro handles the trigger, timing, and container.
  • page-cro -- Use when the page surrounding the form needs optimization (headline, value prop, layout).
  • onboarding-cro -- Use when post-form-submission activation is the bottleneck, not the form itself.

Tool Reference

1. form_scorer.py

Purpose: Score a form against CRO best practices across field count, field types, CTA quality, mobile readiness, and trust signals.

bash
python scripts/form_scorer.py form_config.json
python scripts/form_scorer.py form_config.json --json
Flag Required Description
form_config.json Yes JSON file with form fields, CTA, and context metadata
--json No Output results as JSON

2. field_cost_analyzer.py

Purpose: Calculate the estimated abandonment cost of each form field and recommend fields to remove, keep, or make enrichable.

bash
python scripts/field_cost_analyzer.py form_fields.json
python scripts/field_cost_analyzer.py form_fields.json --json
Flag Required Description
form_fields.json Yes JSON file with form fields and their types
--json No Output results as JSON
--monthly-visitors No Monthly form visitors for dollar impact estimate (default: 1000)
--current-rate No Current form completion rate as percentage (default: 25)
--value-per-lead No Dollar value per lead for ROI calculation (default: 50)

3. ab_test_calculator.py

Purpose: Calculate A/B test sample size, duration, and statistical significance for form optimization experiments.

bash
python scripts/ab_test_calculator.py --baseline 25 --lift 10 --traffic 500
python scripts/ab_test_calculator.py --baseline 25 --lift 10 --traffic 500 --json
Flag Required Description
--baseline Yes Current conversion rate as percentage (e.g., 25 for 25%)
--lift Yes Minimum detectable lift as percentage (e.g., 10 for 10% relative lift)
--traffic Yes Daily traffic (visitors per day to the form)
--confidence No Confidence level as percentage (default: 95)
--json No Output results as JSON

Troubleshooting

Problem Likely Cause Solution
Form completion rate below 15% Too many fields or high-friction fields present Run field_cost_analyzer.py to identify and remove high-cost fields; target email-only for first-touch lead forms
Mobile completion rate 50%+ lower than desktop Form not optimized for touch input Ensure 44px touch targets, single-column layout, native keyboard types; replace dropdowns with button groups on mobile
Users start but do not finish the form Friction in middle fields (phone, budget, message) Move high-friction fields to later steps in a multi-step form; capture email in step 1
High error rate on email or phone fields Validation too aggressive or unclear error messages Validate on blur (not keystroke); use specific error copy ("Please include @ in email") not generic ("Invalid input")
A/B test results are inconclusive after 4 weeks Insufficient sample size or too small a lift target Use ab_test_calculator.py to confirm required sample size; consider testing bigger changes (field removal vs copy tweak)
CTA clicks are low despite good page traffic CTA copy is generic or button is not prominent enough Replace "Submit" with value-specific copy ("Get My Report"); ensure CTA is full-width on mobile, high-contrast color

Success Criteria

  • Form completion rate above 25% for lead capture forms (above 35% is excellent)
  • Mobile completion rate within 20% of desktop rate
  • Error rate below 10% of form interactions
  • Field-level drop-off identifies specific friction points with clear remediation
  • Each form field has documented justification (business need or enrichable post-submission)
  • A/B tests run for minimum 200 conversions per variant before declaring winner
  • Post-form-submission follow-up occurs within 24 hours for demo and contact forms

Scope & Limitations

  • In scope: Form field optimization, CTA copy, validation UX, mobile optimization, trust signal placement, A/B test design, field cost analysis
  • Out of scope: Page-level CRO (use page-cro), popup trigger optimization (use popup-cro), signup/registration flows (use signup-flow-cro), post-submission nurture sequences
  • Data dependency: Field-level analytics (per-field drop-off) provide the most actionable data but require analytics instrumentation
  • Compliance constraint: GDPR/HIPAA may require specific fields that cannot be removed; document compliance requirements before optimizing
  • Statistical validity: A/B test recommendations require sufficient traffic volume; low-traffic forms may need longer test durations or alternative evaluation methods

Integration Points

  • page-cro -- When the form converts well but the surrounding page does not drive form interactions, optimize the page-level elements first
  • popup-cro -- When the form is inside a popup or modal, trigger timing and container design are handled by popup-cro
  • signup-flow-cro -- For account creation and registration forms (not lead capture), use signup-flow-cro which handles multi-step auth flows
  • onboarding-cro -- When post-form-submission activation is the bottleneck, not the form completion rate itself
  • free-tool-strategy -- Free tools often include lead capture forms; use form-cro to optimize the capture form within the tool

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