Microsoft Forms is a versatile tool that allows us to quickly create polls, surveys, and quizzes. The process is straightforward and accessible through a web browser. We simply sign in using a Microsoft account. This could be our Office 365 work or school account or a personal Microsoft account like Outlook.com.
Once signed in, we can start a new form directly or select ‘Forms’ from the list of available apps. Microsoft Forms offers an intuitive design that streamlines the creation of forms. Whether starting from scratch or utilizing a template, we can customize questions, change form themes, and define settings.
Sharing our forms is just as easy as creating them. We can send them to anyone and collect responses in real time, making it a powerful tool for gathering feedback and making informed decisions. Data can be reviewed directly within Forms or exported to Excel for further analysis.
Contents
Getting Started with Microsoft Forms
When using Microsoft Forms, the process is straightforward from setting up a form or quiz to personalizing the final touches. Let’s get into the step-by-step process.
Creating a New Form or Quiz
First, we sign in to Microsoft Forms using a Microsoft account, which can be a Microsoft 365 work or school account, or a personal Microsoft account like Hotmail. Upon signing in, we’re presented with an option to create a new form or quiz. To kick-off, we select “New Form” or “New Quiz,” which allows us to start from scratch or choose from a variety of templates that can help streamline the creation process.
Understanding Form Elements and Structure
Microsoft Forms allows us to add a range of question types to our form or quiz, including choice, text, rating, ranking, Likert, date, and more. Each question type serves a different purpose and provides respondents with a specific way to answer. Here is how we can use and customize these elements:
Multiple-Choice Questions: These questions give respondents a set of predefined options. We can add branching to tailor the form based on the selected response.
Text Questions: When we require short or long written answers, text questions are ideal.
Rating and Ranking Questions: To gauge preferences or satisfaction levels, rating allows a star or number scale, while ranking lets respondents order options based on preference.
Likert: This is used for sentiment analysis, often in surveys, to measure how much respondents agree or disagree with a statement.
Customization: We can personalize the look and feel of the form or quiz by editing the theme to add a background image or changing colors.
Sections: For longer forms, we can break down the form into multiple sections to keep it organized.
Feedback: We can gather feedback directly within the form via a feedback button.
| Element | Description | Usage |
| Branching | Directs users to different sections based on their answers. | Useful for adaptive questionnaires or quizzes. |
| Customize | Adjust the form’s visual design. | Helps to align the form with branding or aesthetic preferences. |
| Template | Predefined form structures. | Saves time and provides inspiration for form design. |
We can also integrate our form with Excel to easily track and analyze responses. Furthermore, the submit button at the end of the form is critical—it needs to be clearly visible so respondents know where to click to finalize their inputs.
Using Microsoft Forms, we leverage these elements to create tailored, accessible surveys and quizzes for various needs, whether for education, business feedback, or event planning.
Distributing and Sharing Your Form
Sharing your Microsoft Forms accurately and efficiently is crucial whether you aim to collaborate with a select group or gather a broad range of responses. We will guide you through the options available for both specific user sharing and open audience collection.
Sharing with Specific Users or Communities
To share a form with specific individuals or communities within your organization, or even with specific external users:
- Go to your form and click on Share.
- Under Send and collect responses, select ‘Specific people’.
- Enter the email addresses of your collaborators.
This method ensures that only those you have explicitly granted access to can view or edit the form. Collaboration platforms like Teams or Outlook make sharing within your network straightforward. You can even generate a link for specific individuals, which they can access via Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com, or any web browser on their mobile device.
Collecting Responses from a Wider Audience
| Method | Instructions |
| URL Sharing | Directly copy and share your form’s URL over various channels. |
| Use the native integration to send via Outlook, Hotmail, and Live. | |
| QR Code | Generate a QR code that users can scan with a mobile device to access the form. |
| Embed Code | Embed your form on a website or within OneDrive. |
When our goal is reaching a broader audience, we have various tools at our disposal. By sharing a single URL, we can reach numerous respondents across diverse platforms. The URL can be shortened for ease of sharing, making it suitable for social media, email blasts, and other digital communications. Capturing feedback via a web link ensures that anyone, regardless of their affiliation with our organization, can provide their input.
If distributing via email is more our style, we can use the integrated function to send the form directly to contacts from our Outlook, Hotmail, or Live accounts. Creating an embeddable code or a QR code also broadens the reach, offering flexibility to our audience who may come across the form on our website or by scanning the code via their mobile devices.
Analyzing and Managing Form Responses
We often need to interpret what our data is saying quickly and efficiently. Through Microsoft Forms, we can view real-time results, organize data with Excel, and leverage advanced analytics to make informed decisions.
Viewing Real-Time Results
As soon as we begin to collect responses on Microsoft Forms, we can monitor them in real-time. This immediate feedback allows us to react promptly to input, measuring engagement, and understanding trends as they occur.
Organizing Data with Excel
For more detailed analysis, we seamlessly sync our Microsoft Forms data to an Excel workbook. This integration is available across the Microsoft 365 suite, including Office 365 Education. It enables us to sort, filter, and apply advanced Excel tools to our Forms data.
| Combine Multiple Forms | Excel Analysis Features | Organize and Share Data |
| Consolidate data from various forms | Use Excel to perform complex analyses | Easily share findings with your team |
Leveraging Advanced Analytics
Analytics play a crucial role in making sense of the data we collect. Microsoft Forms includes insightful analytics features like the Ideas button, which provides tailored insights into our form’s responses. This includes the automatic generation of charts and the ability to conduct cross-distribution analysis, crucial for comparing various datasets within the forms.
Enhancing Forms for Business and Education
In today’s interconnected world, the ability to collect and analyze data efficiently is crucial for businesses and educational institutions alike. Microsoft Forms offers a robust platform for creating surveys, polls, and questionnaires that are both professional and engaging.
Creating Professional Surveys and Polls
Surveys and polls are essential tools for gathering customer feedback and conducting market research. With Microsoft Forms, we can create custom-designed questionnaires that resonate with our audience. By leveraging a range of question types, from multiple-choice to open-ended responses, we ensure our surveys are tailored to the specific insights we’re seeking, whether it’s understanding customer preferences or gauging employee satisfaction.
It’s important to present questions clearly and concisely; this increases response rates and the quality of data collected. Advanced features like branching logic allow us to guide respondents through different paths based on their answers, making the survey experience more personalized and relevant.
Integrating Forms with Microsoft 365 Apps
For businesses and educational institutions subscribed to Microsoft 365, integrating Forms with other Microsoft 365 apps amplifies the utility of collected data. Real-time collaboration on Forms via apps like Teams enhances the speed and efficiency of data collection and analysis. We can easily share forms among colleagues or students, encouraging smooth and widespread participation.
| App Integration | Benefits | Use Case |
| Microsoft Teams | Facilitates live collaboration and communication | Team surveys to improve projects |
| PowerPoint | Seamless presentations with interactive elements | Live audience polls during presentations |
| Excel | Powerful data analysis tools | Analyzing survey responses for reporting |
For educators, using Forms to create quizzes with automatic grading within educational platforms can save valuable time and provide immediate feedback to students. As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Forms integrates seamlessly, ensuring that all data is secure and complies with institutional policies. In the scope of administrative tasks, automated workflows can be created to process survey results, streamlining operations.