Application Forms

The application forms are used to gather relevant information from attendees, volunteers and other guest types.  Every SignMeUp organisation will have default application forms for attendees and volunteers.  If you need further application forms, these can be created via the ‘guest types’ tab. 

Purpose

The purpose of the application forms are to gather relevant information from attendees and volunteers.  To comply with GDPR laws, the information must be relevant and have a purpose. If you cannot justify why you are asking a certain question then the question should not be asked.  For example, do you need to ask a guest their date of birth, or their address and phone number? However, you need to capture enough information in the event of needing certain details in an emergency situation. 

Locked questions

Locked questions appear as default on the attendee and volunteer form.  They cannot be changed or removed.  These are questions that gather essential information from the attendee or volunteer. 

Custom questions

Custom questions are the questions that you can add that are specific to your event and organisation. The administrator needs to think carefully about what additional information needs to be gathered and why. They also need to consider how best to ask the questions. Make sure the question is clearly worded and concise. People may skip questions if they feel they are too long and wordy or if they feel unsure what information is being requested of them.

For example, the attendee or volunteer might be attending the event without a relative on site. Therefore, it would be advisable to add in the custom questions as shown below. 

Field types

Adding field types

To add a field type, to be used as a custom question, click and hold on the 12 dots to the left of the field type text. Drag these to the main form where you would like the question inserted.  A side panel will then pop up, allowing you to add the relevant details to the question. 

The question text is what the applicant will see as the text on the application form. Make sure it is clearly worded and concise. People may skip questions if they feel they are too long and wordy. 

The hint is displayed beneath the answer field and will help the applicants in entering the correct data. It might be used to clarify the question further or add more details if needed. This does not need to be filled in.

If the checkbox for ‘Required’ is ticked, then the applicant must complete this question before being able to complete the application.  If unticked, the applicant will be able to leave this question blank. 

If the checkbox for ‘Admin only’ is ticked, then the question will not show on the applicant’s form. Instead it will only show in the admin area. This could be used as a blank notes field that the administration team can fill in as needed. If the checkbox is not ticked, the question will be shown to the public applicant. 

The ‘Min’ and Max’ fields can be completed by the organisation to limit the number of characters that can be entered for a text based answer. A short answer field automatically limits the text answer compared to a long answer field. If you need extra information but concisely, you could apply a maximum length. 

Options will appear for the Picklist and Checkbox list field. This is when you want applicants to select from pre-given options. You must have at least two options to use these fields. Type each option into ‘new option’ and then click ‘add’. An option can be removed by clicking the red recycle bin. 

A flagged application is defined as one which has information which needs the administration team to look at before furthering the application.  If the question is set to ‘no flag’, then once the application is submitted it will begin processing without administrator input.  If the question is set to ‘flag if empty’, then if the applicant leaves this question blank, the system will automatically flag the application once submitted and the administrator will have to accept it manually.  If the question is set to ‘flag if not empty’, then if the applicant writes an answer in this field, the system will automatically flag the application once submitted and the administrator will have to accept it manually. 

‘Only display this field if another field has a certain value’ gives the organisation the chance to hide non-relevant questions until they become relevant. On a medical form there is the question ‘Do you have any allergies?’. If the applicant selects yes, then the follow up question ‘Please give details’, will appear on screen. When adding a new field, the question you are adding will be automatically shown unless you select another question in this box.  The related question that links must be in the same section of questions. 

Moving and ordering questions

When creating the application forms you will need to think carefully about the order of the questions. The questions should flow and similar questions should be asked together.  It should be as easy for the applicant to complete as possible. Questions that are hidden until they become relevant (linked questions), must be in the same section as each other. 

To move the order of questions, click and hold on the 12 dots next to the question. Then drag it to the new location.  Locked questions can be moved and re-ordered. 

It is recommended that the final question on every application form is the declaration: ‘I agree to The Software Charity storing and processing my personal data as detailed in the Privacy Policy. I also agree to The Software Charity sharing my personal data with [Your Organisation's Name] for the purposes of processing my application as detailed in [Your Organisation's Name]'s Privacy Policy*'