For security reasons, Marcom has decided to use Google Forms and Microsoft (MS) Forms on Ecosystem sites.
When creating a form, consider your audience. Is your audience external (e.g., prospective students) or internal (e.g., within a department or office)?
Google Forms
Marcom recommends using Google Forms for most external audiences. Google Forms allows users to easily collect information from external sources.
MS Forms & MS Bookings
MS Forms can be owned by groups, which makes them useful for internal purposes. MS Forms is configured to prevent the collection of personally identifiable information, which means you will not be able to collect email addresses, so Google Forms is often a better option.
In the case of forms designed for booking or scheduling resources (tours, for example) Marcom recommends MS Bookings, which has useful, built-in features for these purposes (scheduling, calendaring, email reminders, and more).
Including Files
Files should not be uploaded to forms. Uploading files creates security risks. It is more appropriate to provide (or ask for) links to shared documents. There are many widely available sharing tools that provide free user accounts with included storage:
- MS SharePoint
- MS OneDrive
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
SharePoint is the preferred option at UMass Amherst.
PDF Forms
Some forms need to exist as PDFs to be filled out and submitted as hard copies or sent via applications (e.g., DocuSign). When PDFs are necessary, they must meet accessibility guidelines. See the guidelines on PDFs and ADA compliance for more information.