As a Software Developer, I often get requests to build apps for collecting inputs on several fields to support business processes.
Collecting inputs based on several fields can be done with existing tools such as Google Forms, but there is always a question when the business process turns out to need an approval workflow process on the inputs. Can Google Forms handle it?
The Problem
If we use Google Forms for a process that needs approvals, we need another tool to help us manage the approval workflow, like Google Sheets. We can export submissions to Sheets and manage the approval status there. But that raises more questions.
What if we need to request a revision for a specific respondent’s input field?
We need to let the respondent know what to revise and where to submit the new input. Maybe we can let them submit a new input in Google Forms or give them access to the Sheets for an edit?
This convoluted process was a major pain point for my clients. It quickly becomes complicated and inconvenient, and it’s the moment we both agree: this workflow has outgrown Google Forms and Sheets.
The Solution
When I go with the idea of building a dedicated app that supports input collection and handles the specific approval workflow processes, I see that more business processes need similar apps, but for a different list of fields.
That’s when I had the idea: what if I could build a customizable form builder, just like Google Forms, but with a crucial difference? What if every form submission were automatically attached to a standard, built-in approval workflow, with statuses like “Approved,” “Rejected,” and “Need Revision”?
Users can create customized forms with various fields, such as short text, long text, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdowns, and file uploads. You can also set whether each field is required.
Feedbacked Form’s Form Builder:
After creating the form, you get a shareable link for respondents to fill out, just like with Google Forms.
Copying the Form Link on Feedbacked Form:
Just like Google Forms, anyone can open the link and fill in the form with the requested field input type.
Feedbacked Form’s Respondent Point of View:
When the respondent sends the form response, something will change on the form page. A status badge showing “In Review” appears, and the “Send” button changes to “Save Changes.” A new “Copy Edit Link” button also shows up. This is what different from Google Forms.
Respondent’s Form Page After Submitting The Form:
This new interface gives the respondent the power to edit their submission using a unique and secure link.
The “In Review” status clearly communicates that their entry has been received and is being reviewed by the form owner. The “Copy Edit Link” button is a button to get the form submission page link, where the respondent is able to edit their form submission.
There’s even a “See Status Logs” button to view the submission’s status history.
Feedbacked Form’s Submission Status Log/History:
From the form owner’s side, every submission appears in a clean dashboard, complete with its current status. From there, you can change the status, view the history, and see all the submitted data in one place.
Form Owner’s Response List on Feedbacked Form:
Try It Yourself!
This app has already been released and is accessible to everyone at feedbackedform.com.
As Feedbacked Form is in its early stages, resources are limited, but if you require more storage or higher response limits, please send me an email at dalem.krisnayana@gmail.com.
I really hope this can be helpful for everyone who needs a form builder with built-in approval workflows. Or at least I can re-use the functional logic behind this app if a customized, dedicated app for a form with approval workflows is still needed.
Your feedback as an early user would be invaluable to help me iterate quickly and build a better version of the app.
If you have any questions or reviews on using Feedbacked Form, feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch.
Top comments (2)
This looks super interesting. I was thinking of ways to handle our website update requests and this seems a cool way to do it.
come give it a try! get in touch if you need any help within the app.