Building forms
Question types
All the kinds of question a form can ask, what each collects, and how to choose between them.
hootform has 24 question types, and every one is available on every plan. Pick a type with Add question, or change an existing question's Type in its settings.
Choosing a type
| You want… | Use |
|---|---|
| A name, a sentence, a quick answer | Short text |
| A paragraph of feedback or a story | Long text |
| One or several options from a short list | Multiple choice |
| One option from a long list (countries, products) | Dropdown |
| A score out of 5 or 10 | Rating |
| NPS, CSAT, or any numbered scale with labels at each end | Scale |
| A quick yes or no | Yes / No |
| Options put in order of preference | Ranking |
| The same scale for several statements | Matrix |
| Contact details, one at a time | Email, Phone number, Link |
| A name, email and phone in one step | Contact info |
| A postal address | Address |
| A quantity, an age, a budget | Number |
| A day, a stay, an appointment, a time | Date, Date range, Date & time, Time |
| Agreement to terms or a privacy policy | Consent |
| A CV, a photo, a document | File upload |
| A signed agreement | Signature |
| Several short questions on one screen | Question group |
| An introduction or section break, with no answer | Statement |
What every type shares
Every question has a title, an optional description, a Required switch, and can carry a picture or video. Every question that collects an answer can also have logic, and its answer can be recalled in later questions. The pages below cover what each type adds: its own settings, what respondents see, how the answer is stored and exported, and which logic comparisons it offers.
- Short text A single line of free text, for names, job titles, short answers and anything else that fits on a line.
- Long text A box for paragraphs, for feedback, stories, descriptions and anything that needs more than a line.
- Email An email address, checked as it's typed and encrypted when stored.
- Number A number, optionally between a minimum and a maximum, averaged in Insights.
- Multiple choice A list of options to pick one or several from, with an optional "Other" for anything you didn't list.
- Dropdown One option from a long list, shown as a compact select menu.
- Phone number A phone number with a country selector, stored in one international format however it was typed.
- Link A web address, such as a website, portfolio or social profile, always stored with https:// or http://.
- Contact info First name, last name, email, phone number and company, asked together as one question.
- Address A postal address — street, city, region, postal code and country — asked together as one question.
- Yes / No A single yes-or-no question, answered with one tap or key.
- Rating A score from 1 up to between 3 and 10, answered with one tap and averaged in Insights.
- Scale A numbered scale with labels at each end, including Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT).
- Ranking Put a list of options in order of preference, best first.
- Matrix A grid that asks the same question about several things at once, with one answer per row.
- Date A calendar day, such as a birthday, a start date or an event day, optionally between two dates.
- Date range Two dates, a start and an end, for stays, trips, leave and availability.
- Date & time A day and a time together, for appointments, deliveries and bookings.
- Time A time of day, such as a preferred call time or an arrival time.
- Consent A checkbox for agreeing to terms, a privacy policy or marketing, which records exactly what was agreed to.
- File upload Let respondents attach files such as a CV, photos or documents, up to 10 per question.
- Signature A signature drawn with a finger, a stylus or a mouse, stored as an image with the response.
- Question group Several questions asked together on one screen, under a heading of their own, with one button.
- Statement A screen with text and no answer, for introductions, section breaks and instructions partway through a form.