However, the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) recommend against using placeholder text in form fields. They list 7 main reasons. This is taken from their website
1. Disappearing placeholder text strains users' short-term memory
2. Without labels, users cannot check their work before submitting a form
3. When error messages occur, people don’t know how to fix the problem
4. Placeholder text that disappears when the cursor is placed in a form field is irritating for users navigating with the keyboard
5. Fields with stuff in them are less noticeable.
6. Users may mistake a placeholder for data that was automatically filled in
7. Occasionally users have to delete placeholder text manually
Obviously, not all of these will apply to the Reddit sign-up form (or to your own website). It's worth reading the full NNG article to get a different but valid perspective based on their research:
http://www.donotlick.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/cheat.pn...
However, the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) recommend against using placeholder text in form fields. They list 7 main reasons. This is taken from their website
1. Disappearing placeholder text strains users' short-term memory
2. Without labels, users cannot check their work before submitting a form
3. When error messages occur, people don’t know how to fix the problem
4. Placeholder text that disappears when the cursor is placed in a form field is irritating for users navigating with the keyboard
5. Fields with stuff in them are less noticeable.
6. Users may mistake a placeholder for data that was automatically filled in
7. Occasionally users have to delete placeholder text manually
Obviously, not all of these will apply to the Reddit sign-up form (or to your own website). It's worth reading the full NNG article to get a different but valid perspective based on their research:
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/form-design-placeholders/