When you need to collect information from some people, the best option might be to send them an email on their preferred platform and then collect the data into a spreadsheet.
However, that method may have worked for you in the past. But as more people and documents are needed, it’s not efficient to use that strategy. When faced with a growing number of required resources, using this method would likely slow your work or even get in the way.
What do you do?
To use forms, you need to type text into a big, wide field.
Form processing is one of the many ways you can gather information from your users and have it collected into a single repository. From there, you can use that data for whatever purpose you need.
The easy part is creating an interactive form. You can use Google to help you create a simple form that captures the data you need and encourages people to share your content online.
How to create a form in Google Workspace to simplify collecting information
Let me walk you through the process.
Requirements
The only thing you’ll need is a valid Google Workspace account. Google Forms can be used with both the free and paid accounts, so there’s no need to upgrade if using the freebie option. That’s it. Let’s make a form.
1. Log in to Google Workspace
The first thing you’ll need to do is log in to your Google Workspace account.
2. Go to the Forms tool
Once you’ve logged in, you can either click the app icon and scroll down until you see Forms in the menu, or simply point your browser to forms.google.com.
3. Create a new form
There are two ways you can go about this. You can either select a predesigned form from the template gallery or start from scratch.
For those who have never created a form, I would suggest you look through the gallery to find a form that can serve as a base. For example, you might want to use the Work Request form in the gallery. Locate and click that template to open the form in the editor.
4. Customize the form
Since we’re using a template, you will only have to go through the prebuilt items in the form and edit them as needed. If you find the form needs additional questions, click + (the plus sign), and you can add short answers, paragraphs, multiple choice, check boxes, drop-downs, file uploads, linear scale, multiple choice grid, date, or time.
Fill out the necessary information for the question and you’re good to go. You can also move items up and down, add images and videos, and add sections. You will also want to make sure to customize the header of the form and include your own information.
5. Send the form
Once you have the form customized to your liking, click Send at the top right corner. A new pop-up will appear, where you can select to send the form via email, a shareable link, or an embed code.
If you go the email route, you’ll need to add the necessary recipients. Once you’ve shared the form, the recipients will fill it out, and the results will automatically be collected in the Responses tab for the form.
And that’s all there is to create a form with Google Forms. Using this tool is one of the easiest ways to collect data from users. And because it’s free, anyone can take advantage of this tool.