Forms

Form welcome screens

The welcome screen is the only part of a form some people ever see. It has one job, which is to make starting feel small, and it does that with a clear title, one line of context and an honest estimate of how long this will take.

Create a form with OneCraftThe ten layouts, the estimated time field, and where the image sits

The welcome screen of a published gym membership form, with a full width photo and a five minute estimate — A classic form welcome screen on the overlay layout, with an honest time estimate.

The four pieces of copy

An eyebrow, which is a tiny uppercase tag above the headline and is where the category goes. A title, which should name the thing rather than greet anyone. A description of one or two lines saying what happens after they submit. And an estimated time, which is the field that does the most work and the one people most often leave blank.

The welcome screen editor open in the form builder — The welcome screen, edited on its own tab beside the form.

Be honest about the time

An estimate that is short by half is worse than no estimate at all, because the person who believed it abandons at the point they realise. Count the fields, allow about eight seconds each for simple ones and thirty for anything that needs thought, then round up. "About four minutes" on a form that takes four minutes builds more trust than "one minute" on the same form.

Ten layouts, and what they are for

Editorial, split, centered, card, document, overlay, minimal, stat, masthead and poster. Split puts an image beside the text and is the workhorse for anything consumer facing. Minimal and centered suit internal forms where a photo would be odd. Document suits forms that are really paperwork. Stat is for when a number is the reason to start, like how many people have already signed.

Classic forms can have one too

Welcome screens are on by default for conversational forms and off by default for classic ones, but a classic form can have one. It is worth turning on whenever the form is long, is being sent to strangers, or needs a sentence of context before the first field makes sense.

How it works, in three steps

Step 1
Turn it on and pick a layout
Split for consumer facing forms, minimal or centered for internal ones.
Step 2
Write four short pieces
Eyebrow, title, one line of description, and an estimated time you have actually checked.
Step 3
Add an image if it earns its place
Split and overlay layouts take an image on either side. A photo that shows the thing beats a stock illustration of a person at a laptop.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the guide Design your welcome and thank-you screens.

Limits worth knowing

A welcome screen is one screen. There is no multi-step introduction.
The image position setting applies to the split layout.
Turning a welcome screen on for a classic form adds a step before the fields, which is a cost as well as a benefit.

See it on a finished piece

Conference registration form

11 fields

Wedding RSVP form

8 fields

Course enrolment form

24 fields

Questions people ask

Do welcome screens reduce completions?

They add a click, and they usually pay for it by removing the people who were never going to finish and reassuring the people who were. On a short internal form, skip it.

What should the estimated time say?

The truth, rounded up. Count the fields, allow about eight seconds each for easy ones and thirty for anything that needs thought.

Can a classic form have a welcome screen?

Yes. It is on by default for conversational forms and off by default for classic, but you can turn it on.

Make your own form

The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match yours, generate, then edit anything you like.

Create a form with OneCraft