You must have come across Address line 2 on at least one eCommerce site while filling the shipping, billing, or mailing information. Or maybe in an online form while filling up some essential details. In some address forms, this elusive field ends up creating so much confusion that the customer abandons the shopping cart altogether.
Wondering what purpose it serves? Can you leave that field blank and still check out? What are the details that go into Address Line 2? Let’s address all your queries in this article.
What Is Address Line 2?
Address Line 2 is an optional field in an address form to mention the second part of your address. For example, a flat number or suite number or floor number.
What Are the Two Address Lines?
The two address lines are Address Line 1 and Address Line 2.
What Is the Purpose of Address Line 2?
While Address Line 1 contains the civic number and street address, Address Line 2 is for apartment number, room number, unit or suite number, floor number, and PO box number.
· Address Line 2 Examples
A standardized format for addresses that uses Address line 2 is as follows:
Receiver Name
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
If an address has a street number only, here’s an example:
Mr. Peter Parker
666 Beverly Hills
San Jose CA 6666
If an address has an apartment number or a unit number, Address Line 2 will be used:
Ms. Sara Dawson
888 Marlyn Drive
Apartment 568
Dallas TX 99999
· USPS Addressing Standards
USPS states that the standard way of writing an address is by using three lines.
Receiver’s Name
Street Address
City, State, ZIP Code
Example:
Mr. George Watson
568 Maven Street, Unit 20
Austin, TX 56789
USPS also states that placing the unit number or apartment name on a separate line such as “Address Line 2” will be a non-standardized way, as in the example below.
For example:
Mr. George Watson
568 Maven Street
Unit 20
Austin, TX 56789
How to Include “Address Line 2” in the Address Form?
Image source: Pinterest
One of the best ways of improving the usability of an address form is by hiding the “Address Line 2” field behind a link.
Displaying just one permanent Address Line 1 and an optional Address Line 2 prevents users from second-guessing their input action. However, it’s also vital that the subset of users who require the second line be able to spot the link.
But the lesser the form fields, the better the user experience. Not only does it reduce typing time and increase process speed, but it also makes everything less ambiguous and intimidating.
However, the “Address Line 2” should only be hidden behind a link in places where the majority of site users don’t need the field. In situations where the majority of users require the field, it should be made permanently visible.
UX Implementation Details for Address Line 2
Here are some UX implementation details for Address Line 2 to make sure you get it right.
#1. Whether collapsed or expanded, all the form fields, including address lines, must be marked as required or optional. The absence of these markings can lead to severe usability issues. This includes unnecessary time spent on the form when it was not mandatory to fill a field or dealing with validation errors by not filling the field that had to be filled.
#2. While using revealing links for form fields like “Address Line 2,” make sure you include it in the keyboard tab flow. This is because most users use keyboard tab keys to navigate through form fields.
#3. Additionally, ensure tooltips and other helpful links are skipped in the tab flow as they can create unnecessary confusion.
#4. The link revealing the “Address Line 2” field must be appropriately styled to convey that it expands into an additional form field. You can either use text or an icon like “+” to convey this.
A Few Parting Words
This was a concise guide about Address Line 2, its purpose, and how to fill it. Hopefully, this has cleared your confusion and you can now fill up any address form seamlessly.
