Audit a complex form

---
name: audit-a-complex-form
category: design
description: Audit a complex form across task flow, fields, conditional logic, validation, accessibility, save and resume, privacy, review, submission, and recovery. Use when users complete consequential multi-step information.
---
# audit-a-complex-form
## When to use
- Use for applications, onboarding, benefits, finance, health, compliance, or administration.
- Minimize sensitive collection and avoid requesting data without a stated purpose.
## Procedure
1. Map user goals, eligibility, steps, fields, conditions, evidence, decisions, and downstream use.
2. Remove unnecessary fields and explain sensitive purpose before collection.
3. Test labels, groups, instructions, autocomplete, formats, keyboard, screen reader, zoom, and language.
4. Test conditional logic, hidden state, back navigation, save, resume, timeout, and changed answers.
5. Review inline and summary errors, focus, preservation, suggestions, and no-blame language.
6. Test review, consent, submit, duplicate prevention, receipt, correction, withdrawal, and failure recovery.
7. Observe representative users and retest fixes.
## Failure plan
- Provide an equivalent assisted route when a critical barrier cannot be fixed immediately.
## Worked example
A benefits form stops erasing dependent details when an earlier answer changes and now explains the consequence.
## Done
- A form audit report records flow, fields, purposes, logic, accessibility, errors, save, privacy, submission, receipt, and findings
- Keyboard, assistive, zoom, conditional, timeout, resume, duplicate, failure, correction, and assisted-route tests verify completion