One question at a time

There's a form design pattern used by the UK Government Digital Service, the US Digital Service, and major UX research firms worldwide. It's deceptively simple: ask one question per screen.

Proven at scale

The GOV.UK Design System, maintained by the Government Digital Service, recommends starting with one thing per page as the default approach to form design. This isn't theoretical. It's the result of years of user research and testing across services used by millions of people — from tax returns to passport applications to driving licence renewals.

The pattern has been so successful that it's been adopted by the US Digital Service, the Australian Digital Transformation Agency, and numerous other government digital teams worldwide. When your form needs to work for everyone — including people with accessibility needs, low digital confidence, or limited time — one question at a time consistently outperforms traditional long forms.

This isn't a niche UX opinion. It's a heavily tested, evidence-backed approach that the world's most rigorous digital teams rely on.

Why it works

The research behind this pattern is extensive:

• Reduced cognitive load: One question per screen simplifies the experience. Users focus on one thing at a time rather than being overwhelmed by a wall of fields.

• Fewer errors: When people can focus on a single input, they make fewer mistakes. Validation can happen immediately before moving on.

• Higher completion rates: Breaking a long form into steps makes the task feel more achievable. Users are more likely to start and more likely to finish.

• Better on mobile: A single question fills a mobile screen naturally. No pinching, zooming, or scrolling past irrelevant fields.

• Smarter journeys: Conditional logic becomes straightforward. Based on a previous answer, you can skip irrelevant questions entirely — something that's clunky and confusing in a traditional form layout.

• Accessibility built in: Screen readers and assistive technologies navigate single-question pages far more effectively than complex multi-field forms.

• Clearer analytics: When each question is a step, you can see exactly where people drop off. This data is invaluable for improving the form over time.

When to use it

This pattern is most effective for:

• Forms with more than a few fields

• Processes where answers determine what comes next

• Services used by a wide range of people with varying digital confidence

• Any form where completion rate directly matters to your business

It's not always the right choice

Short forms — a newsletter signup, a simple contact form — don't need this pattern. If someone can scan the entire form in a second and fill it in without thinking, a single page is fine.

But for anything with complexity — quote requests, onboarding flows, application forms, multi-step bookings — the evidence overwhelmingly supports breaking it down to one question at a time.

If it's good enough for services handling millions of transactions for the UK and US governments, it's worth considering for your business.