This is how fast you can create a digital form, switch from paper to digital web forms and turn your paper forms into mobile forms with forms2
Updated 3.10.24
You’re here because you want to know how quickly you can move from paper to digital forms. Well, I’m here to tell you it takes literally a few minutes. We’ve even got two videos to prove to you how easy (and fast) it is to create a digital form. We’ll even show you HOW to create a digital form with forms2.
How do I create a digital form?
The fastest and easiest way to create a digital form is by using our web form builder alternative, and drag & drop interface, forms2. It’s no-code, so you don’t need to learn how to code! We even have digital form templates you can use! In 5 minutes, you can create a digital form with text boxes, images and file upload, GPS coordinates, electronic signatures AND connect it to your tech stack via our API.
We’ve got the digital forms and business apps case studies to prove how fast forms2 are when creating a digital form. See the video below! Companies and enterprise organisations are rapidly switching from traditional paper forms to mobile forms for several reasons like reduction in paper costs and reduced paper waste in business, easier, more accurate data capture and above all the cost-saving benefits. They’re also REALLY easy to set up thanks to our drag-and-drop interface!
The benefits of digital forms and mobile forms are clear: efficiency, accuracy, and real-time data access anywhere, anytime. With forms2, creating a digital form is not only simple to navigate but completely customisable when you need it to be and so user-friendly that the drag-and-drop platform does most of the work for you! This guide will walk you through the process of how to create a digital form or your first mobile form using forms2.
Show me an example of how fast it is to create a digital form
This is how you create a digital form with forms2, we’ll start with building an app with mobile forms. Today, i’ll walk you through the process of constructing a hazard reporting app using our no-code app builder and digital form platform. Note – this is SUPER versatile and can be used to build no-code draf and drop apps across in any sector – including white label businesses!
Here’s how to get started and build a digital form in seconds!:
Building a Hazard Reporting App With No-code
This is how you can build a hazard reporting app and create a mobile form in under 5 minutes with forms2!
Step1. Log in to the forms2 dashboard:
Once you’ve logged in to the forms2 platform using your free trial, head over to the ‘Apps’ section located at the top left of your dashboard.
Note: here at forms2 we’ve got over 140 predefined templates of no-code apps and digital forms in our examples catalogue, but for this guide i’ll just show you how to set up your no-code app from scratch.
Step 2. Set up a new a no-code app
Click on ‘Screens’ followed by ‘Add New’ at the top right. Name your app ‘Hazard Report’ and choose an appropriate icon that you want to use – we’ve got tonnes of cool ones.
Step 3. Navigating the Screen Builder
This is where the magic happens! The Screen Builder is where you’ll design pages and add questions for your app. On the left, you’ll find various field types that you can integrate into your form.
Step 4. Designing the Hazard Page
Click on the highlighted page title at the top to access its properties. Rename the page title to ‘Hazard’. To capture multiple hazards, ensure the ‘Repeatable’ box is ticked in the properties.
Step 5. Adding User Details
To ensure the reporter’s name is included in the report, title a sample field ‘Reported By’. To auto-populate this field with the user’s first name, utilise the dynamic value option in the properties and select the ‘User’s First Name’ function.
Step 6. Capturing Hazard Images
The next step in building your mobile form is adding media – an especially useful feature for those who need to take images for your proof of work reports and something that our facility management and vineyard management app customers use. Add a media field to your screen by hovering over to the left where you’ll see a media icon and click to add it to your screen. Label it ‘Hazard’. This will allow users to upload pictures of the hazards they’re reporting.
Step 7. Rating the Hazard
If you work in construction, facility or hospitality management, you might want to create a mobile form with multiple levels of hazard severity. Fortunately, you can do this with the forms2 platform! All you have to do is add those fields in the mobiel form to rate the severity of the hazard.
For example, create a dropdown that’s called – ‘Severity’ and title it ‘How Severe is the Hazard?’. For our example, we’ll add choices like ‘Minor’, ‘Moderate’, and ‘Severe’. To visually represent the severity levels, you can assign colours to each choice: green for minor, amber for moderate, and red for severe. Etc
Step 8. Saving and Testing
Now you’ve built your mobile form and you’re happy with your digital form design, click the ‘Save’ button.
The next step is to test your newly created app and your mobile forms with your team and watch the applause and adoration come in (results may vary!). Seriously though, your team will love using these forms instead of paper.
Just click on the ‘Test’ icon. Your name will automatically be added as a test user.
Confirm and start the test.
Step 9. You’ve just created a mobile form in less than 5 minutes
Congratulations! You’ve successfully built your first app using forms2 and have been able to create a mobile form in less than 5 minutes.
To see your creation in action, simply access forms2 on your smartphone or tablet, log in, and test your mobile form and app.
What’s the mobile Forms switchover timeline?
The mobile forms switchover timeline can take minutes to set up and be rolled out in a few days if necessary. As you’ve seen in this demo, you can create a simple mobile form that is packed full of useful features like media capture, reporter name for accountability, levels of hazard severity with colour codes and the ability to capture multiple hazards in one form.
Best of all you’ve done it in under five minutes. So yes, the answer is it takes 5 minutes or less to create a mobile form with forms2.
Watch our customers show you how to create a digital form in 60 seconds
TD Construction Testing went from paper to digital in a matter of days thanks to their citizen developer Liz.
Watch how Liz at TD Construction Testing creates a digital form with the forms2 platform in 60 seconds. Read the full case study HERE.
In this demo on creating a mobile form with forms2, she shows you how quickly it is to create a digital form for construction purposes and distribute it to her team across the country.
Watch as Liz creates a worksheet, detailing the client name with a required text field for reporting purposes.
Liz also ensures that the form requires field operatives to record with additional text fields including the date of the audit.
One key benefit of these mobile forms is that Liz can also specify what equipment field operatives will need for the job ahead of time, reducing the chance of error on the day.
To ensure the mobile forms are quick and easy to use, Liz can also create multiple dropdown boxes so field operatives don’t have to keep typing out what they’re doing at each stage. They just select the correct box!
And just like that, within a few minutes, Liz has made a mobile form and the field team will have access, with notifications to say their form is ready after the output report is attached to the form connector which connects to the TD Construction Testing’s Tech stack.
And once the mobile form is completed by the field team, and test results submitted, a report will automatically be generated and sent back to the office for analysis!
Oh, and TD Construction Testing saved over £30,000 per year with digital forms and no-code apps too… which is always good!
Best practices for creating a digital form
Whether you’re building a data capture app, creating digital lone worker protection forms or soil analysis forms for agriculture, there’s always a few best practices when creating a mobile form!
Understand Your Needs
Before transitioning from paper to digital forms, understand the specific needs of your business. What data are you collecting? Who will be using these forms? Do you need to scale? Do we need GPS and e-signatures?
Choose the Right Platform
Platforms like the forms2 mobile forms and business apps platform offers a user-friendly interface and customisable templates to create digital forms tailored to your requirements. We’re also super friendly – ready to help you when you need it!
Get the essential features you need in your no-code app!
Always make sure your digital forms have the features you need – stuff like e-signatures, required fields, and real-time updates to make sure the stuff you need gets filled out and there’s no room for error when it comes to the accuracy of the data captured. When choosing a mobile forms provider, like us, you also need to make sure that your mobile forms platform can connect to your tech stack and work alongside your existing software because you need your forms to talk to your analytics or in-house software. You can learn more about our integrations here.
Test and Iterate
Before you roll out your mobile forms, test your digital form with a small group first! Gather feedback from the team and make the necessary adjustments that you need. Do you need more image capture? Do you need API connectors for weather forecasts? Do you need e-signatures? Does Steve in the Agriculture team need another field for seed testing apps?
Conclusion
The transition from paper to mobile forms is not just a trend but a necessity if you want to streamline your processes, increase accuracy, reduce paper waste and save money. As you can see here, the switch from paper to mobile forms and the timeline of converting your business from paper to digital forms is actually pretty straightforward, and thanks to our budget-friendly pricing which starts at $18* per user per month, it’s actually really cost-effective, especially if you want to save £30,000 per year just like TD Construction Testing did! Watch the testimonial below.
Go from low-code beginner to expert in days not months. Start your free trial of forms2 or speak to a platform specialist today about moving from paper to digital forms.
The forms2 platform offers a cost-effective option to create any type of digital form for any industry, in any country. In fact, at prices starting from $18* per user per month, we’re actually one of the cheapest no-code platforms for enterprise organisations out there!
Don’t just take our word for it, check out our mobile form and business app case studies too!
Try the EASIEST mobile form builder
14-day free trial
FAQs on creating a digital form
How does forms2’s online form builder enhance the data capture process?
Technically, forms2 is not online form builder. We streamline the data collection and data capture process by offering customizable form templates and intuitive form fields via a no code platform, making it easier to gather and manage data efficiently. This approach significantly reduces the time spent on manual data entry and improves data accuracy as you can create digital forms that suit your exact needs.
Can forms2’s digital form creator help in creating professional-looking electronic forms?
Absolutely we can. The digital form creator from forms2 allows users to design electronic forms that are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. With a range of form templates and the ability to customise form fields, you can create digital forms that can be branded up with your own colours, branding and even match the paper forms almost exactly how you had them so your field engineers are used to them.
What makes forms2’s form creator a superior choice for businesses?
forms2 offers a free online form creator trial that is SUPER easy to get started with and VERY efficient – it takes MINUTES to set up a digital form with us. This is why businesses choose us to make their digital forms – you can get up and running with digital forms and no-code apps in minutes and create web forms without incurring additional costs like development or consultancy – it’s all there for you.
How does forms2 compare to Google Forms in terms of creating online forms?
We all know Google Forms is a popular tool – BUT forms2 offers more advanced features for creating online forms, especially for mobile no-code apps. We’ve made sure that the forms2 no-code app builder and digital form builder provides greater customisation, better integration with business workflows and your tech stack, and a FASTER way of creating mobile forms that can be branded how yOU want them, setting it apart from Google Forms.
Why should businesses choose forms2 for creating mobile forms over other digital form builders?
Our customers tell us that forms2 is one of the BEST mobile/digital form builders due to how easy it is to get started and how FAST it is to create digital forms and mobile forms in the app. It offers a no-code solution that is specifically optimised for mobile devices, ensuring that forms are not only easy to create but also highly functional and responsive on smartphones and tablets.
You can read our digital forms case studies HERE.
In what ways does forms2 make data management easier?
forms2 simplifies form data management by providing a seamless interface for collecting, storing, and analysing the data you’ve captured with your digital forms. capture the data in the app and digital forms and it’l automatically send it to your tech stack so you can access it when you need to.
How does forms2’s online digital forms platform benefit remote and field workers?
forms2’s online digital forms platform is ideal for remote and field workers, as it allows them to collect and submit data in real-time using mobile devices, even when there’s no signal, and managers to create digital forms based on the needs of those workers. need a new data capture form? create it on the desktop or mobile and send it out in SECONDS! This quick roll out and ensures timely and efficient data flow, which is crucial for businesses with a mobile workforce.
Why is forms2 the best data capture app?
One reason. Reliability. Well, there are TONNES of reasons, but the fact we have a 99.99% uptime, you can capture data when there’s no phone signal and the digital forms have mandatory fields that don’t allow the user to leave the screen unless all required information is filled out plays a big part in accurate data capture!
How does forms2’s no-code platform rmalke creating electroinic forms better?
forms2’s no-code platform makes it SUPER easy for any users to create electronic forms without any coding knowledge – like NONE. This is why we’re the best mobile form builder vs standard form builders because they often require technical skills – we don’t – just the will to learn. With forms2, users can easily design, customise, and deploy professional-looking digital forms, making the process accessible to everyone.
Why is forms2 the best digital form builder?
The forms2 no-code platform is the BEST digital form and mobile form creator, because it’s optimised for mobile devices and tablets, highly customisable and our customers tell us we’re the best no-code and digital form builder as well! It’s also a LOT faster to build with us – we even have a video (down below) that shows how a digital form can be built in MINUTES! This focus on speed, ease of use and functionality is what sets us apart from OTHER online form builders, who don’t provide the same level of functionality or user experience on mobile devices.
Here at forms2, we make sure our platform ensures that forms are not only easy to create but also highly effective and responsive on all mobile platforms, allowing you the power of embedding forms in your no code business app that users can access anywhere.
Let us help you create digital forms that work for you.
The forms2 platform offers a cost-effective option to create any type of digital form for any industry, in any country. In fact, at prices starting from $18* per user per month, we’re actually one of the cheapest no-code platforms for enterprise organisations out there!
Don’t just take our word for it, check out our mobile form and business app case studies too!
Try the EASIEST mobile form builder