Template Design Best Practices

Well-designed templates save time, reduce errors, and make document sending effortless. Follow these best practices to create templates that your team will love to use.

Role Naming Conventions

Use Clear, Descriptive Role Names

Good role names:

• ✅ "Client" - Clear and specific
• ✅ "Employee" - Obvious who this is
• ✅ "HR Manager" - Specific department role
• ✅ "Department Head" - Clear hierarchy
• ✅ "Witness" - Clear purpose

Bad role names:

• ❌ "Person 1" - Too generic
• ❌ "Signer A" - Confusing
• ❌ "User" - Not specific enough
• ❌ "Party 1" - Unclear
• ❌ "TBD" - Unprofessional

Role Naming Patterns

For employment documents:

• Employee
• HR Manager
• Department Manager
• CEO (for executive approvals)

For sales contracts:

• Client
• Sales Representative
• Sales Manager
• Legal Team

For vendor agreements:

• Vendor
• Procurement Manager
• Finance Director
• Operations Director

For real estate:

• Buyer
• Seller
• Buyer's Agent
• Seller's Agent

Role Order Matters

For sequential signing:

1. Role 1: First signer (e.g., Client)
2. Role 2: Second signer (e.g., Manager)
3. Role 3: Final approver (e.g., Director)

Best practices:

• Order roles by signing sequence
• Put most important signer first
• End with final approver
• Use logical progression

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Field Organization

Group Related Fields

Organize fields by section:

• Personal Information - Name, email, phone
• Address - Street, city, state, zip
• Employment Details - Position, salary, start date
• Signatures - All signatures together

Why grouping matters:

• Easier to find fields
• Logical flow for signers
• Reduces errors
• Professional appearance

Use Consistent Field Placement

Signature fields:

• Always at bottom of page or end of document
• Consistent size across all templates
• Same spacing between fields
• Aligned properly (left or center)

Date fields:

• Always next to or below signature
• Consistent size and position
• Clear label ("Date" or "Date Signed")

Text fields:

• Aligned in columns when possible
• Consistent width for similar fields
• Proper spacing between fields

Field Sizing Standards

Recommended sizes:

• Signature: 250px wide × 70px tall
• Initials: 80px wide × 40px tall
• Date: 150px wide × 35px tall
• Name: 250px wide × 35px tall
• Email: 300px wide × 35px tall
• Phone: 180px wide × 35px tall
• Address: 350px wide × 35px tall
• Multi-line text: 400px wide × 100px tall

Why standard sizes matter:

• Professional appearance
• Consistent user experience
• Easier to place fields
• Better mobile experience

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Merge Fields Strategy

When to Use Merge Fields

Use merge fields for:

• ✅ Information that changes per document
• ✅ Personalized data (names, amounts, dates)
• ✅ Campaign/bulk sending
• ✅ Data from CSV files

Don't use merge fields for:

• ❌ Information that's always the same
• ❌ Standard contract language
• ❌ Company information (use PDF text instead)

Merge Field Labeling

Clear, descriptive labels:

• ✅ "Employee Name" - Clear purpose
• ✅ "Annual Salary" - Specific
• ✅ "Start Date" - Obvious
• ✅ "Department Name" - Clear

Poor labels:

• ❌ "Field 1" - Not descriptive
• ❌ "Name" - Which name?
• ❌ "Amount" - What amount?
• ❌ "Date" - Which date?

Merge Field Types

Choose the right field type:

• merge_text - Names, positions, descriptions
• merge_number - Salaries, amounts, quantities
• merge_date - Start dates, end dates, deadlines
• merge_email - Email addresses
• merge_phone - Phone numbers
• merge_checkbox - Yes/no options
• merge_dropdown - Multiple choice options

Why field types matter:

• Proper formatting (dates, numbers)
• Data validation
• Better user experience
• Cleaner data

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Template Library Organization

Naming Conventions

Template naming best practices:

• Use descriptive names
• Include document type
• Add version numbers (if applicable)
• Use consistent format

Good template names:

• ✅ "Full-Time Employment Contract"
• ✅ "Part-Time Employment Contract"
• ✅ "Standard NDA - Mutual"
• ✅ "Standard NDA - One-Way"
• ✅ "Service Agreement - Monthly"
• ✅ "Service Agreement - Annual"

Bad template names:

• ❌ "Template 1"
• ❌ "Contract"
• ❌ "New Template"
• ❌ "Copy of Template"

Categorize Templates

Organize by department:

• HR Templates
• Sales Templates
• Legal Templates
• Operations Templates
• Finance Templates

Organize by document type:

• Employment Contracts
• Service Agreements
• NDAs
• Purchase Orders
• Lease Agreements

Organize by frequency:

• Daily Use
• Weekly Use
• Monthly Use
• Occasional Use

Template Descriptions

Add helpful descriptions:

• What the template is for
• When to use it
• Who should use it
• Any special instructions

Example:

Template: Full-Time Employment Contract
Description: Use for all full-time employee hires. 
Includes salary, benefits, and standard terms.
Roles: Employee, HR Manager

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Reusable Template Patterns

Standard Employment Contract

Roles:

1. Employee
2. HR Manager

Merge fields:

• Employee Name (text)
• Position (text)
• Department (text)
• Annual Salary (number)
• Start Date (date)
• Manager Name (text)

Signature fields:

• Employee signature + date
• HR Manager signature + date

Use cases:

• New hires
• Contract renewals
• Position changes

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Client Service Agreement

Roles:

1. Client
2. Service Provider

Merge fields:

• Client Name (text)
• Company Name (text)
• Service Description (textarea)
• Monthly Fee (number)
• Contract Start Date (date)
• Contract End Date (date)

Signature fields:

• Client signature + date
• Service Provider signature + date

Use cases:

• New clients
• Service renewals
• Contract amendments

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Multi-Approval Purchase Order

Roles:

1. Requesting Department
2. Department Manager
3. Finance Director
4. Vendor

Merge fields:

• PO Number (text)
• Vendor Name (text)
• Item Description (textarea)
• Quantity (number)
• Unit Price (number)
• Total Amount (number)
• Delivery Date (date)

Signature fields:

• Requesting Department signature + date
• Department Manager signature + date
• Finance Director signature + date
• Vendor acceptance signature + date

Sequential signing: Yes (in order above)

Use cases:

• Equipment purchases
• Service contracts
• Vendor agreements

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Testing Your Templates

Before Publishing

Test checklist:

• Use template with real data
• Map all roles to test users
• Fill all merge fields
• Review generated document
• Check field placement
• Verify all fields are fillable
• Test on mobile device
• Check sequential signing (if applicable)
• Verify email notifications
• Download completed document

Common Issues to Check

Field placement:

• Fields not overlapping text
• Fields properly aligned
• Adequate spacing
• Visible on all pages

Role mapping:

• All roles have clear names
• Roles in correct order
• Sequential signing works correctly

Merge fields:

• All merge fields have labels
• Labels match CSV columns
• Correct field types used
• Data formats correctly

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Version Control

When to Create New Versions

Create a new version when:

• Legal language changes
• Company policies update
• New fields are required
• Significant layout changes

Don't create new versions for:

• Minor typo fixes
• Small formatting changes
• Field position adjustments

Version Naming

Include version in template name:

• "Employment Contract v2.0"
• "NDA - 2025 Version"
• "Service Agreement (Updated Jan 2025)"

Or use template description:

Template: Employment Contract
Version: 2.0
Last Updated: January 2025
Changes: Added remote work clause

Archive Old Versions

When to archive:

• New version is tested and approved
• Old version no longer compliant
• Significant changes made

How to archive:

• Rename with "(Archived)" suffix
• Move to "Archived Templates" folder
• Keep for record-keeping
• Don't delete (may need for reference)

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Team Collaboration

Template Ownership

Assign template owners:

• HR templates → HR Manager
• Sales templates → Sales Director
• Legal templates → Legal Team
• Operations templates → Operations Manager

Owner responsibilities:

• Keep templates up-to-date
• Test templates regularly
• Train team on usage
• Review and approve changes

Template Access

Control who can:

• Create templates - Admins and designated users
• Edit templates - Template owners only
• Use templates - All team members
• Delete templates - Admins only

Template Training

Train your team on:

• How to find templates
• When to use each template
• How to map roles correctly
• How to fill merge fields
• When to ask for help

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Maintenance & Updates

Regular Review Schedule

Review templates:

• Quarterly - Check for outdated information
• Annually - Full template audit
• As needed - When policies change

What to review:

• Legal language accuracy
• Company information current
• Contact details up-to-date
• Field placement optimal
• Role names still relevant

Update Process

Steps to update a template:

1. Create a copy (don't edit original)
2. Make necessary changes
3. Test thoroughly
4. Get approval (if required)
5. Replace old version
6. Archive old version
7. Notify team of changes

Track Changes

Document template changes:

• What changed
• Why it changed
• Who made the change
• When it was changed
• Who approved it

Example change log:

Template: Employment Contract
Version: 2.1
Date: January 15, 2025
Changed by: HR Manager
Changes: Added remote work policy section
Approved by: Legal Team

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Common Template Mistakes

❌ Mistake 1: Too Many Roles

Problem: Template with 8 different roles

Solution: Keep it simple - 2-4 roles maximum

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❌ Mistake 2: Vague Role Names

Problem: "Person 1", "Person 2", "Person 3"

Solution: Use descriptive names like "Client", "Manager", "Director"

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❌ Mistake 3: No Merge Fields

Problem: Creating separate template for each client

Solution: Use merge fields for personalized data

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❌ Mistake 4: Inconsistent Field Sizes

Problem: Signature fields different sizes on each page

Solution: Use standard sizes across all templates

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❌ Mistake 5: Poor Field Labels

Problem: Merge fields labeled "Field1", "Field2"

Solution: Use clear labels like "Employee Name", "Salary"

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❌ Mistake 6: No Testing

Problem: Sending template to clients without testing

Solution: Always test with real data first

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❌ Mistake 7: Cluttered Layout

Problem: Fields too close together, hard to read

Solution: Use adequate spacing, group related fields

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❌ Mistake 8: No Documentation

Problem: Team doesn't know when to use which template

Solution: Add descriptions and usage instructions

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Template Design Checklist

Before finalizing your template:

Roles

• Clear, descriptive role names
• Logical role order
• 2-4 roles maximum
• Sequential signing set (if needed)

Fields

• All fields properly placed
• Consistent field sizes
• Adequate spacing
• Fields don't overlap text
• Merge fields have clear labels
• Correct field types used

Layout

• Professional appearance
• Consistent formatting
• Clear section headers
• Page numbers (if multi-page)
• Adequate margins

Testing

• Tested with real data
• All roles mapped correctly
• All merge fields work
• Reviewed on desktop
• Reviewed on mobile
• Sequential signing works (if applicable)

Documentation

• Clear template name
• Helpful description
• Usage instructions
• Version number (if applicable)
• Owner assigned

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