Resources from nSiteful
You lost me at "Some required fields were not completed"

When designing Web forms for your Web-site visitors, less is more. Fewer is better.

Required fields, that is. More required fields means fewer people will complete your form. It's pretty much that simple.

I've learned this as a Web designer. I experienced it as a user — just the other day.

I needed information from my wireless phone service carrier about international calling. I did not relish calling their toll-free customer service number. (I think I'd almost prefer volunteering for jury duty or going down to the DMV to renew my driver's license in person early. But I digress.)

So I logged into my online account.

Unable to find what I was looking for after a rather diligent search, I accepted the popup invitation to a Live Chat with a real person.

I typed in my question.

Kristen, my Live Chat Agent, replied gratuitously, "I'll be happy to answer your question!". (This is the Live Chat version of "Your call is very important to us".)

Much to my pleasant surprise, Kristen was extremely responsive and helpful after that.

So responsive and helpful, that I agreed, quite out of character, to complete a short Customer Service Survey about my Live Chat experience.

I gave Kristen and the experience high marks. I clicked "Yes" to "Would you use Live Chat again?". When I got to the question "Would you recommend our Web site to your friends?", I paused.

That's an ambiguous question, I said to myself. My inability to find the answer to my original question is why I used Live Chat in the first place. So, no, the Web site isn't so good. But then again, I couldn't have had the Live Chat if I hadn't visited the Web site. Then again, I only use the Web site to check my cellular account details, and my friends who use other carriers would have no reason to use this Web site.

So I skipped the question.

But alas, I wasn't allowed to. I clicked the submit button but was greeted by a scolding error message: Some required fields were not completed.

I clicked the X to close the popup window and went away.

Sound familiar?

PS: I'll bet Kristen wasn't even a female. I'm convinced these Live Chat programs take first names of popular female actresses from Entertainment Weekly. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual agent wasn't Sal Morelli (pictured above, giving his Career Day talk in the movie "City Slickers".)