Knowing how to create a Google Form is an excellent tool for anyone with the need to collect data and information.
Understanding what it is and how it works can simplify a seemingly wearisome task.
What is Google Forms?
Google Forms is an application anyone with a google account can use. Click on the 9 dots on the top right of Google’s homepage to find it.
Its purpose is to allow users to create surveys and forms that can be sent out with a simple link.
How Google Forms works
When first opening Google Forms, users choose to use a blank form or one from the template gallery.
Once a form is created, users will see a few fields to get started. Fill in the title and add a description.
After that is complete, begin creating questions. With the dropdown box on the right, choose the type of question.
The question types available are:
- Short Answer
- Paragraph
- Multiple Choice
- Checkboxes
- Dropdown
- File Upload
- Linear Scale
- Multiple Choice Grid
- Checkbox Grid
- Date
- Time
Other field types, like signatures, are not a feature in Google Forms. Users can make do by adding a short text field where the recipient types their name in place of the actual signature.
Each question has a required toggle on the bottom right. If turned on, recipients will need to answer that question in order to submit the form.
Once finished with the question, press the circled + on the bar on the right to create another.
On the bar of icons on the right of the questions, users can import questions, and add other non-questions elements such as titles, images, videos, and sections.
Question Types – Short answer and Paragraph
When deciding what type of question to choose, knowing what each one does will make it easier.
The first two options function similarly. They allow users to enter text. The difference is the space available for the user to type a response.
Multiple Choice, Checkboxes, Dropdown, and File Upload
These options allow users to list potential answers for the questions. Multiple choice allows one answer, whereas checkboxes allows them to select all that apply.
Dropdown creates a dropdown menu and recipients can choose one answer.
With file upload, recipients can specify the location of a file that can then be viewed and downloaded by the form creator.
Linear Scale, Multiple Choice Grid, and Checkbox Grid
Use of Linear Scale allows users to ask a question where recipients choose from a scale. The scale can start at 0 or 1 and go up to anywhere from 2 to 10.
Multiple Choice Grid allows users to set up two variants of each answer. The main subject is filled in as the Row, and the variants are filled in as the column. This has many uses, like sizes and colors, or days and times. One choice can be made from each row.
The checkbox grid works like the multiple choice grid, except it allows for more than one column value for each row.
Date and Time
The final two options, date and time, allow users to ask recipients for inputs with specific date and time formatting. Data cannot be entered if it doesn’t fit this format.
Form Preview
When finished, users can click on the eyeball on the top right to see what it will look like when it is sent out. Google will also format it to be printed if that is required.
To learn how to send a form and read/understand the data collected, check out our upcoming blog post on that topic. See also our upcoming blog post about the more in depth settings such as whether to require users to be signed in, or provide email addresses.
Additionally, If you have any questions about how to create a Google Form on an iPhone or our terminology wasn’t clear, please use our contact form to send us a message. Thanks!