Decisions Made Easy With Group Choices

Everyone loves choices, but sometimes having too many can make decisions difficult. Multiple options can also make creating online forms tricky, so we've rolled out a new Group Choices feature that lets you group the choices on your Zoho Forms.

Creating grouped choices in forms, such as course registration forms, can enhance the user experience by making it easier for respondents to find and select the options that best suit their needs.

How to enhance form experience with Grouped Choices

When it comes to form design, especially in contexts like course registration or event sign-ups, grouping choices in dropdown menus is an effective way to help users find what they're looking for quickly and intuitively. Here, we'll explore why grouped choices are beneficial and how to implement them effectively.

Why Group Choices in forms?

• Grouped options reduce cognitive load by categorizing information. Instead of scrolling through a long list of unrelated items, users can scan category headers to find what they need faster.

• Organizing options into meaningful categories helps users understand the options available. This is especially useful in forms with numerous choices, where relevance may otherwise be unclear.

• Well-organized forms reflect professionalism. They show that your organization cares about user experience and has thoughtfully structured its offerings.

How to group choices effectively

Identify categories that make sense for your content
Start by identifying logical groupings for your choices. For a course registration form, categories might include “Programming and Development,” “Data Science and Analytics,” and “Design and Creative Arts.” Think about what will make sense for your users based on the context of your form.

Keep group labels clear and concise
The names of the groups should be straightforward. Users should immediately understand what kind of options will appear under each category. Avoid jargon or overly specific terms that may confuse users.

Limit the number of categories
While grouping helps organization, too many categories can overwhelm users. If you have more, consider if any can be merged without losing clarity.

Order categories logically
Arrange groups in an order that makes sense for your form’s purpose. For instance, on a course registration form, you might start with the most popular or general topics and move towards more specialized or advanced categories.

Configuring conditional rules with grouped choices

You can configure field rules to work with grouped choices of a dropdown field.

Conditional rules can be a powerful tool to enhance user experience by dynamically displaying grouped choices based on specific criteria. In forms, such as booking or registration forms, this can help streamline user input and ensure they only see relevant options. Field Rules in Zoho Forms allow you to show or hide options based on user inputs or other conditions. When you use these rules with grouped choices, the form becomes more interactive, displaying only the relevant groups or options when certain conditions are met.
For example, when the user selects a guest count greater than 4, the relevant room type categories (e.g., rooms suitable for more guests or larger families) will appear, helping users quickly identify the choices that fit their needs.

 

Using conditional logic with grouped choices can help users complete forms more quickly, as they won’t need to sift through irrelevant options. By guiding users to the correct choices, conditional rules can reduce errors or incorrect entries, ensuring more accurate form submissions.

Grouped choices are a simple yet powerful way to improve form usability. They make it easier for users to navigate options, select the right choice, and complete forms without frustration. Whether you're designing a course registration form or a hotel booking form, thoughtful grouping is an essential step toward creating a user-friendly experience.

Go on and give it a spin! Let us know what you think of this feature in the comments below.