How to use Forms

What this feature does

Seer Data’s Forms allow you to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through a user-friendly data collection form. 

Select from multiple question types, organise them with drag-and-drop functionality, quickly customise each to fit your needs and then easily share your form via email.

This feature is designed to help you:

• Collect qualitative data alongside quantitative data
• Collect data from partners, other organisations and your own employees
• Create datasets and Insights from submitted forms
• Share findings with various audiences

You do not need technical or design skills to build clean, responsive and professional-looking forms.

Who can use it

You can create a form if you:

• Are on a paid plan

You cannot use this feature if you:

• Are on a Standard (free) plan
  
  

How to create a form

1. Navigate to Data Management
2. Navigate to  Create a Data Collection Form
3. Select Create a Form
   
4. You are automatically directed to Configure Form where you can configure the Form settings.
   You can enter a:
   • Form Name
   • Form Description
   • Reporting Frequency (Year, Financial Year etc.) and Reporting Period (2027, 2027-28 etc.)
   • Dataset Name
   • Thank You message to choose what respondents see after they submit the form.

Build Form

1. Navigate to Build Form 

2. Add section
3. Enter a section name
   
4. Enter a section description to help contributors understand the purpose of capturing data for the section. You can format the text using the format menu at the top of the description box. 
5. Enter a sub section name. Each new section will sit across the top of the Form, whilst subsections divide content as you navigate down the Form. Sections and subsections are used to group related fields.
6. To add a Form question or field, select Add field
   Select from:
   • Short text
   • Long text
   • Number
   • Radio Button
   • Single Select Dropdown
   • Scale
   • Checkbox
   • Multiselect Dropdown
   • Yes/ No
   • Date
   • File upload
   • Video upload
   • URL
   • Email
   • Phone
   • Postcode
   • Calculation
   • Matrix/Grid
   • Text Block (this field is not responsive)
     
   
   Noting: fields can be duplicated, deleted or moved (drag and drop functionality). 
7. When you add a field, you must review and update the Field Properties
   These include: 
   • Label: field title/ question text to be displayed
   • Dataset variable name:  variable name in dataset for creating Insights
   • Type: field type (Short text, Long text, Number etc.)
   • Placeholder: pre-populated value as example response
   • Options: pre-populated responses made available for selection 
   • Default value: pre-populated value to submit as a response
   • Unit: type of number (whole number, percentage, decimal)
   • Guidance/ Description: text to provide additional context for responses
   • Analysis type: indicates if the response data is to be included in the dataset as Quantitative or Qualitative data
   • Sovereignty & PII (Personally Identifiable Information or personal information): allows Form builder to accurately identify and classify PII to comply with privacy regulations
   • Conditional visibility: uses conditional logic to change visibility - the field will only be shown when a rule matches (that is, a particular value has been selected in another field)
8. As you populate the Field properties in the right panel, the Form will be populated.
9. Use the Form Outline (left panel) to drag and drop Form components to reorganise the order of sections, sub-sections and fields. Use this same panel to add and delete sections and sub-sections.
   
10. Continue to build the Form, including additional sections, subsections and fields. Updating the Field Properties as you go. 
11. While you are building the Form, you can switch in and out of Preview mode.

Preview the Form

1. Select Preview in the top right corner of the Form
   
   
   
2. You are switched to Preview mode where you can interact with the Form fields to discover how they will look and respond to interaction.

Return to Build Form mode to contiune editing, select Back to form builder in the top left corner of the Form. Once you have completed the Form build, review the Dataset Mapping.

Dataset Mapping

• Each form field has a corresponding Dataset Variable Name. You can edit this name.
• Each Dataset Variable Name must be unique and will be stored as a variable in your dataset on publishing.
• The Dataset Variable Names cannot be edited later, so please choose carefully. 

How can forms be shared and/or distributed?

• Before you publish a Form, you can Share with others in your organisation or a partner organisation and they will have full edit access to the draft. 
  
  
• After you publish a Form, you can Distribute the Form by adding contributors which will automatically send the link to people by email. NOTE: you can choose to set up automatic reminders ahead of Form submission deadlines.
  

Can contributors save answers in a Form and complete it later?

Contributors progress can be saved as they go. If they can’t complete the Form in one session or need to switch devices, they can pick up where they left off without starting again.

Can a form be edited after it has been published?

Yes, some of the Form can be edited after publishing. After you've created a form, you can add and edit some content, like:

• Add sections
• Add fields
• Change Labels
• Change placeholders
• Change guidance text

You cannot change:

• Dataset variable names
• Default values
• Character limits
• Analysis type (Qualitative/ Quantitative)
• Sovereignty & PII

You must select Publish changes to have any changes made visible in the published Form.

Final note

• Publishing a Form will create a Dataset. Each form field will be stored as a variable in your dataset. The Form field names (Dataset variable name) cannot be edited later, so please choose carefully. 

• Publishing opens the form for responses and allows it to be shared with participants. You cannot distribute a form to participants until it has been published.