DRAFT: Building A Form: The Complete Guide

Planning & Preparation

As with any project, planning and preparation for your Droplet Forms are key to your success. There is a saying in construction, "Measure twice, cut once." that is very applicable to the form-building process as well. Following the guidelines outlined in this article before using your form, will save you a lot of time "re-cutting" because something wasn't measured accurately. 

If you are going from a paper-only process to digital for the first time, there is much to re-evaluate. Digital forms and automated workflows can significantly alter your current paperwork processes. Please consider the best practices below as you are building any Droplet Form.

• Only display the fields necessary for each step in the workflow.
• Discourage editing data already entered into the form unless by the author of that data.
• Each step in the workflow should have a defined assignee and an action on the form the assignee will take.
• As the form builder, it will be important for you to understand all the conditions and nuances at each step in the workflow.

Getting Familiar with Droplet

How submissions work

How assignments work

Default notifications

Accessing submissions

Planning Your First Form

*Before starting your first form, you will need to know all the conditions and nuances at each step in the current process. If you need to meet with different departments, use this guide to gather the appropriate information. {insert guide for figuring out the workflow}

*Notifications are different from workflow steps. Anyone you choose can receive a notification with a link to the submission to review and see, but only those who need to take action (approval, add information, etc.) should be included in the workflow.

Form Building

Now that you have all your information ready, let's get building your form!

Building the Layout

Building the Workflow

Ensuring Steps have the correct Visibility

Adding Notifications

Adding Tags

Connecting Datasets

Adding Translations

Testing

We can't always get it right the first time. Testing is a crucial part of this process and will ensure that your form users have a great experience.