How to Create a Multi-Step Registration Form with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Long registration forms can negatively impact user experience on a website. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to transform a lengthy signup form into a more user-friendly multi-step process. This approach will focus on improving the visual appeal while breaking the form into easy, manageable steps.

We’ll build this form using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and guide you step by step to create a dynamic multi-step form that users will love.

Why Use a Multi-Step Form?

Multi-step forms enhance the user experience by breaking down long forms into digestible pieces. This improves engagement and increases the likelihood of form completion.

Let’s get started!

You can find all the code used in this tutorial freely available in the video description.

Step 1: Set Up the Project Folder

Begin by creating a project folder. Inside, you’ll need:

• An index.html file for the structure
• A styles.css file for styling
• A script.js file for functionality

Feel free to add a background image to the folder as well if you’d like to follow along with the styling.

Step 2: Set Up HTML Structure

In the index.html file, we’ll start with a simple structure:

<div class="container" id="register-container">
  <h1>Register</h1>
  <form id="form-step-1">
    <input type="email" placeholder="Email Address" required />
    <input type="password" placeholder="Password" required />
    <input type="password" placeholder="Confirm Password" required />
    <button type="button" id="next-to-step-2">Next</button>
  </form>
  
  <!-- Step 2 -->
  <form id="form-step-2" style="display:none;">
    <input type="text" placeholder="Username" required />
    <input type="text" placeholder="First Name" required />
    <input type="text" placeholder="Last Name" required />
    <button type="button" id="prev-to-step-1">Previous</button>
    <button type="button" id="next-to-step-3">Next</button>
  </form>
  
  <!-- Step 3 -->
  <form id="form-step-3" style="display:none;">
    <input type="number" placeholder="Phone Number" required />
    <input type="date" placeholder="Date of Birth" required />
    <button type="button" id="prev-to-step-2">Previous</button>
    <button type="submit">Done</button>
  </form>
</div>

In this structure:

• Step 1 collects the email, password, and password confirmation.
• Step 2 collects the username, first name, and last name.
• Step 3 collects the phone number and date of birth.

We’ll use buttons to navigate between these steps. The forms that aren’t active are hidden by default using inline CSS (display:none).

Step 3: Style the Form with CSS

Next, let’s make this form visually appealing.

In the styles.css file, link a Google Font and some icons for better aesthetics. Here’s a snippet to get started:

/* Basic reset for consistency */
* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

/* Body and container styling */
body {
  font-family: 'Signika', sans-serif;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  min-height: 100vh;
  background: url('your-background-image.jpg') no-repeat center center/cover;
}

.container {
  width: 400px;
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
  padding: 20px;
  border-radius: 10px;
  backdrop-filter: blur(10px);
  text-align: center;
}

h1 {
  color: white;
  font-size: 36px;
  margin-bottom: 20px;
}

input {
  width: 100%;
  padding: 15px;
  margin: 10px 0;
  border-radius: 5px;
  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3);
  background: transparent;
  color: white;
  font-size: 16px;
}

button {
  width: 100%;
  padding: 15px;
  margin-top: 10px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 5px;
  background-color: #28a745;
  color: white;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 18px;
}

button:hover {
  background-color: #218838;
}

This CSS will center the form on the page, style the input fields and buttons, and give a sleek, transparent container with a blurred background effect.

Step 4: Add JavaScript for Form Navigation

Now, let’s add the functionality that will allow users to navigate between the form steps. In the script.js file, add the following:

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
  const step1 = document.getElementById('form-step-1');
  const step2 = document.getElementById('form-step-2');
  const step3 = document.getElementById('form-step-3');
  
  const nextToStep2 = document.getElementById('next-to-step-2');
  const prevToStep1 = document.getElementById('prev-to-step-1');
  const nextToStep3 = document.getElementById('next-to-step-3');
  const prevToStep2 = document.getElementById('prev-to-step-2');

  // Show Step 2
  nextToStep2.addEventListener('click', function () {
    step1.style.display = 'none';
    step2.style.display = 'block';
  });

  // Go Back to Step 1
  prevToStep1.addEventListener('click', function () {
    step2.style.display = 'none';
    step1.style.display = 'block';
  });

  // Show Step 3
  nextToStep3.addEventListener('click', function () {
    step2.style.display = 'none';
    step3.style.display = 'block';
  });

  // Go Back to Step 2
  prevToStep2.addEventListener('click', function () {
    step3.style.display = 'none';
    step2.style.display = 'block';
  });
});

Here’s what the script does:

• Listens for clicks on the Next and Previous buttons.
• Displays the relevant form section while hiding the others.

Step 5: Test the Multi-Step Form

Once all the files are in place, you can test your form:

• Load the form in the browser using VS Code’s Live Server extension.
• The first form (Step 1) should be visible.
• Click “Next” to proceed to the next step and “Previous” to go back.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a multi-step registration form using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This type of form can significantly improve user experience, especially when asking for a lot of information.

If you found this guide helpful, be sure to give it a try on your own projects. Don’t forget to check out other tutorials for more web development tips!