Whilst I agree that shifters are very generic edgewise; I just think in the current age of "helping the newbie", roll the bones and spin the wheel should allow you to actually test the form first.

Imagine a first time shifter who goes def/def and ends up with two regen forms. They've completely wasted their time. At least give them the chance to actually shift into the form to see what it is like before deciding on whether to swap it out.