Ask users for Email addresses
<div class="govuk-form-group">
<label class="govuk-label" for="email">
Email address
</label>
<span id="email-hint" class="govuk-hint">
We’ll only use this to send you a receipt
</span>
<input class="govuk-input" id="email" name="email" type="email" aria-describedby="email-hint">
</div>{% from "input/macro.njk" import govukInput %}
{{ govukInput({
label: {
text: "Email address"
},
hint: {
text: "We’ll only use this to send you a receipt"
},
id: "email",
name: "email",
type: "email"
}) }}When to use this pattern
Follow this pattern whenever you need to capture an email address.
How it works
When asking users for their email address, you must:
- make it clear why you’re asking
- make sure the field works for all of your users
- help users to enter a valid email address
You may also need to check that users have access to the email account they give you.
<div class="govuk-form-group">
<label class="govuk-label" for="email">
Email address
</label>
<span id="email-hint" class="govuk-hint">
We’ll only use this to send you a receipt
</span>
<input class="govuk-input" id="email" name="email" type="email" aria-describedby="email-hint">
</div>{% from "input/macro.njk" import govukInput %}
{{ govukInput({
label: {
text: "Email address"
},
hint: {
text: "We’ll only use this to send you a receipt"
},
id: "email",
name: "email",
type: "email"
}) }}Tell users why you want the email address
Make it clear what the email address will be used for so that:
- users feel confident that you’re not going to abuse it
- users with multiple email addresses can choose which one to give you
If the email address field is part of a sign-in box, you do not need to say ‘We need your email so we can sign you in’.
Make sure the field works for all of your users
Make sure the field can accommodate up to 256 characters, which is the longest an email address can be.
Help users to enter a valid email address
Help your users to enter a valid email address by:
- checking they have entered the correct format
- allowing users to paste the email address
- using the
type="email"attribute so that devices display the correct keyboard - confirming their address back to them so they can check and change it
The field should be wide enough for most users to see their entire email address once they have entered it. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you can see at least 30 characters at once. You can analyse your user data to refine this.
You can check for common misspellings of popular email providers, for example ‘homtail.com’ instead of ‘hotmail.com’. Warn users if you detect one, but allow them to proceed in case it’s a genuine email address.
Some services ask users to repeat their email address. Only do this if your user research shows it to be effective.
Check the user has access to their email account
If email is an essential part of your service - for example to send a password reset - you can confirm whether the user has access to the email address they give you using an email confirmation loop.
However, these are disruptive and should be avoided as far as possible.
Error messages
Error messages should be styled like this:
<div class="govuk-form-group govuk-form-group--error">
<label class="govuk-label" for="email">
Email address
</label>
<span id="email-hint" class="govuk-hint">
We’ll only use this to send you a receipt
</span>
<span id="email-error" class="govuk-error-message">
Enter an email address in the correct format, like name@example.com
</span>
<input class="govuk-input govuk-input--error" id="email" name="email" type="email" value="Not an email address" aria-describedby="email-hint email-error">
</div>{% from "input/macro.njk" import govukInput %}
{{ govukInput({
label: {
text: "Email address"
},
hint: {
text: "We’ll only use this to send you a receipt"
},
id: "email",
name: "email",
type: "email",
value: "Not an email address",
errorMessage: {
text: "Enter an email address in the correct format, like name@example.com"
}
}) }}Make sure errors follow the guidance in error message and have specific error messages for specific error states.
If the email address is not in the correct format and there is no example
Say ‘Enter an email address in the correct format, like name@example.com’.
If the email address is not in the correct format and there is an example
Say ‘Enter an email address in the correct format’.
Research on this pattern
If you’ve used this pattern, get in touch to share your user research findings.
Get in touch
If you’ve got a question, idea or suggestion share it in #govuk-design-system on cross-government Slack (open in app) or email the Design System team on govuk-design-system-support@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk