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Names and contact information

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Forms that collect information

If you're creating a real or sample form that collects personal information, use these guidelines.

Names

  • Use First name and Last name in forms, or simply Full name.

  • If you include a Middle name field, make it optional.

  • Use Title, not Honorific, to describe words such as Mr. and Mrs. Not all cultures have equivalents to some titles used in the United States, such as Ms.

Addresses

  • Provide fields long enough for customers to include whatever information is appropriate for their locale.

  • Use State or province instead of State. Fields that might not be relevant everywhere, such as State or province, should be optional.

  • Use Country or region instead of just Country to accommodate disputed territories. It's OK to use Country/Region if space is limited.

  • Include a field for Country or region code if you need information for mailing between European countries or regions. It's OK to use Country/Region code if space is limited.

  • Use Postal code instead of ZIP Code. Allow for at least 10 characters and a combination of letters and numbers.

  • Provide enough space for long phone numbers.

Communications that use the customer's name

It's not appropriate in some markets and cultures to address the customer by name—for example, in an email or product home page.

If you're working on content that addresses the customer by name, confirm that the app can reliably determine what region the customer is in and can use the form of address that's appropriate for that market.