What is a Multi-Step Form ?

Multi-step forms, also known as wizards, segment the user interface flow into sequential stages. Each stage focuses on collecting specific information from the user, such as personal details, contact information, or preferences. By breaking down the registration process into smaller, more digestible chunks, multi-step forms enhance user experience and streamline data collection.

Using a multi-step form or wizard pattern can be considered a best practice in many cases, especially for complex processes or forms that involve multiple steps or stages. Here are some reasons why it’s often considered a best practice:

1. Improved User Experience: Breaking down a complex process into smaller, sequential steps can make it easier for users to understand and complete the task. Users are guided through each step, reducing cognitive overload and increasing the likelihood of completion.
2. Clear Progress Indication: By displaying the current step and indicating progress, users have a clear understanding of…
3. Validation and Error Handling: Each step provides an opportunity to validate user input and handle errors before proceeding to the next step. This helps prevent users from encountering issues later in the process and provides immediate feedback.
4. Flexibility and Adaptability: The modular nature of the pattern allows for flexibility and adaptability. Steps can be added, removed, or rearranged as needed, making it easy to iterate on the process and accommodate changes in requirements or user feedback.
5. Reusable Components: Each step component can be designed to be reusable across different processes or forms, promoting code reusability and maintainability.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to leverage Next.js, a popular React framework, to implement a registration flow using the wizard design pattern.

Setting Up the React Project

Step1 : Choose Your Development Framework

Depending on your preference and project requirements, you can choose to set up your project using either Next.js or React.js.

• Option 1: Next.js :

Install Next.js and TypeScript: Install Next.js and TypeScript along with the necessary types for React.

npx create-next-app@latest my-registration-app --ts

• Option 2: React.js:

Install React.js using Create React App

npx create-react-app my-registration-app

Step 2 : Navigate to Your Project Directory

Use the following command to navigate to your project folder

cd my-registration-app

Setting Up the Component Structure

Step 1 : Create Components Directory

Create a components directory inside the src directory. If you don’t have a src directory, you may create it in the root.

Step 2 : Create Step Components

Within the components directory, create Step1, Step2, and Step3 components, and create a parent component to manage the registration flow.

Developing the Registration Flow Components