Forms

Forms enable users to enter information into an NREL.gov webpage.

Form elements should be optimized for touchability on all screen sizes. The minimum height for form elements is 40 px.

Security Impact Assessment

All forms that collect personally identifiable information (PII) must be reviewed for security and privacy impacts prior to publishing. PII is commonly defined as any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity.

Contact Shauna Fjeld to initiate a cybersecurity risk assessment for your form. 

Data and Privacy Notice

All forms that collect PII must be accompanied by a data and privacy statement that includes:

• How the data collected will be used
• How long the data will be retained
• Who will have access to the data.

All forms must also display or link to a security and privacy policy. Most forms can link to NREL's standard security and privacy policy. Custom privacy policies must be reviewed by the NREL Office of General Counsel before they are published. 

Other Form Considerations

Consider the following when developing a form:

• Should the data be saved in a database, emailed to someone, or both? Saving it to a database puts a 2,000-character limit on the total form input. Email-only does not restrict it.
• If it will be emailed, then to whom?
• If the form fails to submit, what do you want the error message to say?
• If the form successfully submits, what do you want the message to say?
• Do you want a “success” email to go out to the subscriber/registrant? If so, what should it say?

Form Elements

Below are examples of form elements. When creating forms with required elements, use "(Required)" next to the form label rather than asterisks for clarity. Also, keep labels separate and above form elements, rather than inside text input forms, where they disappear when users click to type.

See Buttons for actions on forms.