Websites & patient experience · Practical guide

Keep form guidance visible when a correction is needed

An error message can replace the original instruction or appear so far away that visitors must remember both. The correction then introduces uncertainty about the expected answer.

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Make the website useful for the people who use your practice.

What to change

Ask the supplier to show the original instruction alongside the error explanation, so visitors understand both what is expected and what needs changing.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A reference number field retains its example format while explaining which part of the entered reference needs checking. The visitor does not reopen a separate help panel.

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Make the service and next step clear on every screen.
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Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.

Why this matters to your practice

Useful correction messages build on the question instead of replacing it. If a reference needs a particular format, keep that example available while explaining the mistake. Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the form to repair a fictional answer using only what is visible beside the box. If they need reception's help to interpret the instruction, the wording probably needs another pass. Avoid displaying several versions of the same warning just to make the page look more thorough.

How to check the result

Accept when the field provides enough context for one clear correction and returns to its ordinary guidance after the issue is resolved.

A mistake to avoid

Stacking several near-identical warnings can obscure the one detail the visitor actually needs to change.

Turn reading into a next step

Your action checklist

Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.

Checks to discuss

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

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Further reading

These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.

Related guides

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