8 Best Practices for Creating an Effective Online Application Form

A well-designed application form does more than collect information. It creates the first impression of your program and can have a significant impact on the applicant experience.

Whether you are managing applications for an award, scholarship, grant, fellowship, board nomination, volunteer program, or another competitive program, your form should make it easy for applicants to understand what is required and submit the information your reviewers need.

Too many questions can create unnecessary work for applicants, while unclear questions can lead to incomplete or inconsistent responses. The goal is to collect the right information in the simplest way possible.

Here are eight best practices for creating an effective online application form.

1. Define Your Purpose and Objectives

Before adding questions to your application form, determine exactly what information you need and why you need it.

Identify Your Goals

Start by considering what information your administrators and reviewers will need to determine eligibility and evaluate each application.

Ask yourself:

• What information is required to determine eligibility?

• What information will reviewers need to evaluate applicants?

• Which questions directly support the program's objectives?

• Is every question necessary?

Removing unnecessary questions can make the application easier to complete while reducing the amount of information administrators and reviewers need to process.

Know Your Applicants

Consider who will be completing the form.

The language, instructions, terminology, and complexity of your application should be appropriate for your audience. A scholarship application for high school students, for example, may require different instructions and terminology than a professional fellowship or industry award application.

2. Create a User-Friendly Layout

A well-organized application makes it easier for applicants to understand what is expected and move confidently through the process.

Use a Logical Flow

Arrange questions in an order that makes sense from the applicant's perspective. Group related questions into sections such as:

• Applicant information

• Eligibility

• Education or professional experience

• Program-specific questions

• Essays or supporting statements

• References

• Supporting documentation

• Certifications or acknowledgements

Keep the Design Simple

Avoid unnecessary visual elements or overly complicated layouts. Clear headings, concise instructions, and consistent formatting make forms easier to scan and complete.

Design for Mobile Devices

Applicants may access your application from a smartphone or tablet. Forms should be responsive and easy to navigate across different screen sizes.

Even when longer applications are more convenient to complete on a desktop, applicants should still be able to review instructions, save information, upload documents, and complete essential tasks from a mobile device.

3. Write Clear and Concise Questions

The quality of the information you receive depends heavily on the quality of the questions you ask.

Use Simple Language

Use straightforward language whenever possible. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terminology unless you are confident your audience will understand them.

Be Specific

Clearly explain what information you want applicants to provide.

Instead of:

Describe your experience.

Consider something more specific:

Describe your experience in community leadership during the past three years. Include your role, responsibilities, and the impact of your involvement.

Specific questions can produce more consistent answers and make applications easier for reviewers to evaluate.

Use Open-Ended Questions Strategically

Essays and open-ended questions can provide valuable insight, but they also require more time from both applicants and reviewers.

Use them when qualitative information is important to the evaluation process rather than asking for narrative responses when a multiple-choice, checkbox, or short-answer field would provide the information you need.

4. Collect Only the Information You Need

Every field should serve a clear purpose.

Depending on your program, you may need to collect:

• Name and contact information

• Eligibility information

• Education or professional experience

• Qualifications and achievements

• Program-specific information

• References or recommendations

• Essays or supporting statements

• Supporting documentation

Avoid collecting sensitive or unnecessary personal information simply because it might be useful later. Determine what information is genuinely required to administer and evaluate the program.

Make Structured Questions Easy to Answer

Use appropriate field types such as:

• Drop-down menus

• Checkboxes

• Radio buttons

• Multiple-choice questions

• Date fields

• Numeric fields

Structured fields can make applications faster to complete and produce more consistent data for administrators and reviewers.

Explain Document Requirements

If applicants need to upload resumes, transcripts, portfolios, letters, certificates, or other documentation, clearly explain:

• What documents are required

• Accepted file types

• File-size restrictions

• Naming requirements, if applicable

• Any relevant deadlines

Clear requirements reduce errors and applicant support requests.

5. Make the Application Process Efficient

Long or complicated application forms can discourage applicants from completing their submissions.

Distinguish Required and Optional Questions

Clearly identify required questions and avoid making a field mandatory unless the information is genuinely necessary.

Break Long Forms Into Sections

Organize longer applications into manageable sections rather than presenting applicants with one long page of questions.

Show Progress

For multi-step applications, a progress indicator can help applicants understand where they are in the process and how much remains.

Allow Applicants to Save Their Work

For applications that require essays, supporting documentation, references, or detailed information, applicants should not have to complete everything in one sitting.

The ability to save progress and return later can create a much better applicant experience.

6. Test Before You Launch

Administrators know their programs well, which can make it difficult to spot instructions or questions that may be confusing to someone applying for the first time.

Before opening your program, test the entire application process.

Complete a Test Application

Go through the form as though you were an applicant. Test:

• Instructions

• Required fields

• Conditional questions

• Character or word limits

• File uploads

• Links

• Navigation

• Save-and-return functionality

• Confirmation messages

• Automated emails

Ask Others to Test It

Have people who were not involved in building the application complete it and provide feedback.

Ask them:

• Were any questions confusing?

• Were the instructions clear?

• Did you know what information was required?

• Did anything take longer than expected?

• Were there any technical issues?

Review Your Form Each Cycle

Programs evolve. Review your application before each new cycle and remove outdated questions, instructions, dates, or requirements.

Feedback from applicants, reviewers, and administrators can also help you identify opportunities for improvement.

7. Protect Applicant Data

Application forms often collect personal, professional, academic, financial, or other sensitive information. Data privacy and security should therefore be considered throughout the application process.

Collect Data Responsibly

Tell applicants why information is being collected and how it will be used when appropriate.

Only request information that your organization has a legitimate reason to collect.

Control Access

Applicant information should only be accessible to administrators, reviewers, and other authorized users who require it for their roles.

Choose a Secure Application Platform

When evaluating application management software, consider security practices, access controls, data protection, audit capabilities, and the compliance requirements relevant to your organization and program.

8. Provide Clear Instructions and Support

Even the best application form will generate questions occasionally.

Make it easy for applicants to understand what they need to do and where they can get help.

Provide Instructions Where Applicants Need Them

Include clear instructions at the beginning of the application as well as contextual guidance for sections or questions that may require additional explanation.

Helpful information might include:

• Eligibility requirements

• Important dates and deadlines

• Required documentation

• Essay requirements

• Word or character limits

• Reference requirements

• How to save and return

• What happens after submission

Make Support Easy to Find

Provide clear contact information or a support option for applicants who have questions or encounter technical issues.

Applicants should not have to search through your website to figure out who to contact.

Create a Better Application Experience

An effective application form balances the needs of applicants, program administrators, and reviewers.

Applicants need a process that is clear and easy to complete. Administrators need accurate, organized information. Reviewers need consistent data that helps them evaluate submissions fairly and efficiently.

By asking the right questions, providing clear instructions, organizing forms logically, testing before launch, and protecting applicant information, you can create an application process that works better for everyone involved.

RQ Platform helps organizations manage applications and reviews for awards, scholarships, grants, fellowships, nominations, volunteer programs, and other application-based programs—all within one centralized platform.