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Typeform Review – Complete Guide

Download the PDFTypeform interface

Modern businesses have made forms part of their routine activity. They are a tool to mine information, share as well as structure it. Typeform is one of the most widely used form tools but is it the right choice for you? In this Typeform review, we reveal key features of the application so you can decide if it is what you should depend on to extract data from different sources.

What is Typeform?

Typeform is an online form builder that helps users build fun and visually captivating forms. In most cases, people use this builder for surveys that are quite interactive with the questions phrased in a way that respondents can easily respond to the questions.

Although in most cases the purpose will involve surveys, there’s more to the cloud-based tool than that. It can be used to design a variety of forms which include contact lists, shopping carts, and quizzes among other forms.

It is flexible with many tools that help a user design forms as well as handle data collected just like you would with a spreadsheet. With the help of logic jumps multiple forms can be created. This is not a common feature you will find with other form solutions. Logic jumps enable a respondent to be directed to the next question basing on their response to a preceding question.

For example, if a responder ticks Male under the gender category, they can be directed to questions that are specific to that gender. Such dynamic flow within the forms enables automation and improves the responses received.

Some of its key features can help describe Typeform better. These include the following:

  • Drag and drop template design.
  • Unrestricted forms and surveys.
  • Hidden fields
  • 128-bit SSL encryption.
  • Allows data export
  • Offers free API
  • Integration with other applications.
  • Can be used on mobile or desktop.

How to Use Typeform?

Many people who are interested in this tool may still find a challenge in how to use Typeform. The good news however is that it is a simple tool and with a few guidelines you would be ready to start creating forms and collecting data.

You will have to start by signing up on their website. Remember, it is a cloud-based application so there is no need to download any software. Simply provide your email address and preferred password then agree to their terms of use. You will then have access to the free plan which can help you find your way around Typeform.

The free plan has a number of limitations but it is fine if you’re just getting used to the application and trying to find out if it is the right fit for you. You will discover that various templates can be used to set up a survey for different purposes. They are designed according to the various business needs such as lead generation, collecting feedback, and there’s the option of custom building a form to suit a particular need. With the drag and drop feature, it is so easy to customize surveys.

The interface is designed like a notebook where you can type questions and then follow it up with multiple choice answers which means your respondent doesn’t have to spend ages thinking of an answer. This is probably one of the reasons that Typeform surveys have a higher completion rate.

When the questions are finally displayed to the respondent, they will appear as slides, so each question will be displayed as a single slide. What a user needs to keep in mind about this is that if the survey is too long, the slides can become monotonous. It might be a good idea to indicate at the beginning how many questions (slides) are there and number each slide so that the respondent knows how close they are to the end.

You can choose to change the appearance of the slides with different colors or use this flexibility to brand the survey with your brand colors and themes.

A user doesn’t have to limit themselves to open-ended questions or multiple choice answers. it is also possible to use images within the survey. The application also allows the user to fact-check some of the responses especially contact information. If a responder for example gives a wrong email address, they can be prompted to input correct information, this is an advantage in case someone left out a digit or letter by mistake.

Some Use Cases for Typeform include:

  • Getting visitors to your website to sign up for a program or newsletter.
  • Collecting billing information for an online store.
  • Creating trivia quizzes on your site to engage and inform visitors to the site.
  • Collecting marketing information through surveys.
  • Creating application forms to automate the recruitment process.

How to Create a Typeform?

To get started, you will need to go through the signup process as described above. Once you have provided your name, email address, and password, a message will be sent to your email account prompting you to activate your account. Once that is done, you will be ready to get started.

Learning how to create a Typeform is as easy as knowing which template to use for the form you want. Once you have activated your account, you will be prompted to choose a line of business you are in and that will determine the kind of templates they will show you. All the available templates in the field you are interested in will be displayed and you can choose the one most relevant to you.

Alternatively, you can skip the templates and go directly to your workspace. Click on “New typeform” and you can begin designing the form from scratch according to your preference.

The drag and drop process of creating a form is easy to perform. You simply need to know what you want your form to look like and then look for a block that corresponds to what you want.

Typeform Integrations

Typeform enables users to enjoy the beauty of its forms connected to the functionality of their favorite apps. There are several Typeform Integrations that can be created so that you can do more with your forms and the data collected. For example, you could integrate with a document automation application so that the data received from a survey is automatically entered into a document. The ways in which integrations can be used are varied and this tool supports fluid integrations with almost every app.

Typeform Pricing

Typeform pricing starts with a free plan but that restricts the user to only 3 forms and 10 questions per form. With this plan, you do not enjoy features like logic jumps which is a feature that pretty much defines Typeform. This free plan also limits the number of responses you can receive per month to 100.

The paid plans begin with what is called Essential Plan and it is at $35 per month. With this, you can enjoy most of the functionalities of Typeform. Although you have an unlimited number of forms and questions, logic jump is limited to 3 per form.

The professional plan is at $50 and offers unlimited logic jumps and 5 thousand responses a month. You can increase the number of responses by upgrading to premium at $70 a month with 10 thousand responses a month and 4GB storage for file uploads.

Typeform Alternatives

It is always good to compare a tool with its close competitors. While it may be highly recommended especially for its flexibility and logic jump feature, there are still some Typeform alternatives you can check out. These include JotForm, Survey Sparrow, Survey Monkey, and Formstack. They have similar features but you may find differences in pricing, the number of forms that can be created as well as certain features that can make a difference based on your needs.

Typeform Reviews

Most Typeform reviews will agree that this is an enhanced data collection application that eases the process of designing forms with increased interactivity. Its main selling point is the logic jumps that enable a user to utilize a single form to interact with a variety of respondents.

It is also impressive in the way it integrates with several other applications and allows the user to customize the forms and questions to suit a particular need. There is hardly any complaint about the process of integrating it into a business’s existing flock of software.

One common complaint however is that the free plan is very limited and that forces users to opt for the paid plan which seems a bit pricy.

Verdict

It’s a great form-making tool with impressive features. Anyone worried about having to learn how to use new technology can set their mind at ease with Typeform.

If you’ve just discovered us, we’re excited. Try Windward Core for free and take it for a spin.

Tags Start & End

Tags Can Start & End Anywhere

Appendix B

.NET code for multi-page image output

Appendix A

Java code for multi-page image output

Data Bin Search

The Data Bin can now be searched to find a table, column, node or other piece of data without scrolling through it all.

Shrink to Fit

This will shrink the contents of a cell until it fits the defined cell size.

Time Zone Conversion

A new Windward macro has been added to help with converting dates and times from UTC time to the local time zone.

Image Output Format

New image output formats added.

PostScript Output Format

PostScript, commonly used with printers and printing companies, has been added as an additional output format.

New and Improved Datasets (Designer, Java Engine, .NET Engine)

Datasets have been re-written from scratch to be more powerful and easier to use.

Stored Procedure Wizard (Designer)

This works for all tag types that are connected to a SQL-based data source (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, or DB2).

Boolean Conditional Wizard (Designer)

Before, conditional statements could only be written manually. Now they can also be built using our intuitive Wizard interface.

Reorganized Ribbon

The ribbon menus have been re-organized and consolidated to improve the report design workflow.

XPath 2.0 as Data Source

Adds various capabilities such as inequalities,descending sort, joins, and other functions.

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SQL Select Debugger

SQL Select  Debugger

  • The look and feel was improved
  • Stored Procedure Wizard
  • Improved Exceptions pane

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Tag Editor/Tag Selector

Added a Query tab as a field for typing or pasting in a select statement

  • Color Coding of Keywords
  • TypeAhead
  • Evaluate is now "Preview"

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Rename a Datasource

All tags using that Data source will be automatically updated with that name.

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Connecting to a Data Source

New single interface to replace 2 separate dialog boxes

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Tag Tree

Displays of all the tags in the template, structured as they are placed in the template. This provides a simple & intuitive way to see the structure of your template. Also provides the capability to go to any tag and/or see the properties of any tag.

Added Javelin into the RESTful Engine

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Support for Google Application Engine Integration

The ability to integrate the Windward Engine into Google’s cloud computing platform for developing and hosting web applications dubbed Google Applications Engine (GAE).

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Additional Refinement for HTML Output

  • Improved indentation for ordered and unordered lists
  • Better handling of template header and footer images
  • Better handling for background images and colors

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Redesigned PDF Output Support

This new  integration will allow for processing of complex scripts and bi-directional  text such as Arabic.  Your PDF output  will be much tighter and more closely match your template, and we’ll be able  to respond rapidly to PDF requests and fixes.

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PowerPoint Support

Includes support for new ForEach and slide break handling, table header row repeat across slide breaks, and native Microsoft support for charts and images.

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Tags are Color Coded

Tags are color coded in the template by type, making it easy to visually identify them.

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Increased Performance

Version 13’s core code has been reworked and optimized to offer a reduced memory footprint, faster PDF generation and full documentation of supported features and limitations in the specifications for DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.

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Advanced Image Properties

Documents can include advanced Word image properties such as shadows, borders, and styles.

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Improved HTML Output

Windward has updated HTML output to reflect changing HTML standards.

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Version 13 New Data Sources

Windward now works with a slew of new datasources: MongoDB, JSON, Cassandra, OData, Salesforce.com

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Generate Code

The Generate Code tool in the designer allows you to open an existing template and, with a click of a button, automatically create a window with the code needed to run your current template with all data sources and variables. Simply copy this code and paste into your application's code in the appropriate place. You now have Windward integrated into your application.

You only need to do this once. You do not do this for each template. Instead, where it has explicit files for the template and output, change that to parameters you pass to this code. Same for the parameters passed to Windward. This example uses explicit values to show you what to substitute in where.

Pivot Tables Adjusted in Output

Any pivot tables in an XLSX template are carried over to the XLSX output. The ranges in the pivot ranges are adjusted to match the generated output. So your final XLSX will have pivot tables set as expected in the generated file.

This makes creating an XLSX workbook with pivot tables trivial.

Imported Template Can be Set to Match the Parent Styles

In an imported sub-template, if its properties for a style (ex. Normal) differ from the parent template's properties for the style, the use in the sub-template can be set to either use the properties in the sub-template, or the properties in the parent.

You set to retain when you don't want the child template's styling to change when imported. You set to use the parent when you want the styling of the imported template to match the styling in the parent.

Any explicit styling is always retained. This only impacts styling set by styles.

Tags can be Placed in Text Boxes

Tags can be placed in text boxes. Including linked text boxes. This gives you the ability to set the text in a textbox from your data.

Tags can be Placed in Shapes & Smart Art

Tags can be placed in shapes & smart art. This gives you the ability to set the text in a shape from your data.

HTML Output Supports Embedded Images

When generating HTML output, the engine can either write bitmaps as distinct files the generate HTML references, or it can embed the images in the HTML providing a single file for the output.

Footnotes & Endnotes can Have Tags

You can place tags in pretty much any part of a template, including in footnotes & endnotes.

Document Locking Supported in DOCX & XLSX

Any parts of a DOCX or XLSX (PowerPoint does not support this) file that are locked in the template, will be locked the same in the output.

Specify Font Substitution

If a font used in the template does not exist on the server generating a report, the font to substitute can be specified.
In addition, if a glyph to be rendered does not exist in the font specified, you can specify the replacement font. This can be set distinctly for European, Bi-Directional, and Far East fonts.

Process Multiple Datasources Simultaneously

If you need this - it's essential. And if you don't need it, it's irrelevant.

Windward enables you to build a document by applying multiple datasources to the template simultaneously. When Windward is merging the data into a template, it processes the template by handling each tag in order, and each tag pulls from different datasources. (As opposed to processing all of one datasource, then processing the next.)

This allows the select tag to use data from another datasource in its select. For example, if you are pulling customer information from one data source, you can then pull data from the sales datasource using the customer ID of the customer presently processing to pull the sales information for that customer. If you're interested in patching together your data from multiple datasources, read this post on our blog.

Written by:_
Genesis Abel

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