Pro tip: how to avoid oversized forms and surveys
Quick takeaway: On Makerble, it’s best to separate how you input data from how you output/view it. Keep data entry fast and focused with smaller, purpose-built Contact Forms or Surveys. When you want the spreadsheet-style overview of everything together, use a Custom Table to bring fields from multiple forms into one view.
Why spreadsheets lead to oversized forms
If you’re used to spreadsheets, it’s natural to think in terms of one big tab with dozens of columns and one row per contact. Translated directly into Makerble, that often becomes a single ‘mega’ Contact Form or Survey with a long list of questions. This leads to slower data entry, higher error rates and a poor user experience because you risk overwhelming your users with too many questions at once.
On Makerble, data INPUT and data OUTPUT don’t have to be the same thing. You can split inputs across multiple short forms and surveys while still seeing everything together later in a Custom Table.
Best practice: separate INPUT from OUTPUT
Input (data capture): Design small, task-focused Contact Forms or Surveys that match the stages in which your team actually works.
Output (data visualisation and analysis): Use Custom Tables to assemble the exact mix of fields (i.e. answers) you want to see - brought together from across multiple forms and surveys - whenever you need a 'spreadsheet' view.
The key benefit to this approach:
Faster, cleaner data entry: Shorter forms and surveys reduce friction and mistakes.
Greater flexibility: Add or update one form or survey without risking breaking everything else.
Better reporting: Custom Tables let you mix and match fields for different stakeholders and scenarios.
When to use Contact Forms vs Surveys vs Custom Tables
These Makerble building blocks work best when each plays its role:
Contact Forms
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Capture relatively static details about a person (e.g. name, demographics, consent preferences). Create multiple Contact Forms if different teams capture different slices of profile information. |
Surveys |
Capture information that changes over time or is linked to activities, sessions, feedback or outcomes (e.g. confidence scales, attendance details, progress measures). Use separate Surveys for each set of information. |
Custom Tables
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Assemble the ‘spreadsheet view’ by selecting columns from multiple Contact Forms and Surveys. You can then filter, sort and download as needed. |
Split big spreadsheets into smaller forms and surveys
Let’s imagine that you have 25 columns in a spreadsheet but day-to-day your team only needs to complete 10 of them during onboarding and another 15 during assessment. In this scenario the best option would be to:
Create one Contact Form or Survey with the initial 10 questions for onboarding.
Create a second Contact Form or Survey with the remaining 15 questions for assessment/follow-up.
Build a Custom Table pulling all 25 fields, so you can review or export the full profile when needed.
Tip: Name forms by task or moment-in-journey, not by department. For example, ‘Onboarding Basics’, ‘Initial Assessment’, ‘Week 6 Review’, rather than one oversized ‘Master Form’.
Step-by-step: From mega spreadsheet to Makerble
1) Audit your existing columns
Group columns by when they are captured (onboarding, first session, monthly review).
Mark fields as “static” (rarely change) vs “dynamic” (change over time).
Identify sensitive or consent-related fields that might need their own focused form.
2) Create focused forms
Contact Forms for static profile and compliance (e.g. demographics, contact preferences, consent).
Surveys for observations, outcomes, attendance, and anything periodic or time-based.
Keep each form and survey under a comfortable length for your team. Shorter forms are completed more consistently and accurately.
3) Build your spreadsheet-style views with Custom Tables
Choose columns from multiple Contact Forms and Surveys.
Apply filters (e.g., programme, location, cohort) to focus on relevant records.
Save views for recurring reporting and share with stakeholders.
Worked examples
Example A: Youth mentoring programme
Contact Form: Personal details, guardian consent, communication preferences.
Survey (Session Log): Attendance, session type, notes, mentor name.
Survey (Wellbeing Scale): 7-item outcome scale recorded each month.
Custom Table: Columns from all three to provide a holistic view for reporting and export.
Example B: Advice service
Contact Form: Client profile and consent statements.
Survey (Case Intake): Presenting issue, risk level, priority, initial actions.
Survey (Follow-up): Resolved status, referrals made, time-to-resolution.
Custom Table: Intake + Follow-up fields together for service KPIs.
Design guidelines and best practices
Aim for single-responsibility forms: each form should serve a clear moment, team or outcome.
Where possible, use shared answer choices across similar survey questions to streamline reporting.
Use section dividers and clear question explanations to aid scanning during data entry.
Minimise duplication: capture a data point once in the most logical place.
Review dynamic vs static fields regularly; move changing measures out of Forms and into Surveys.
Common pitfalls (and what to do instead)
Having one mega form for everything → instead, split into 2–4 forms aligned to workflow steps.
Copying spreadsheet tabs verbatim → instead, redesign around how and when data is actually captured.
Forcing time-varying data into Contact Forms → instead, move to Surveys for trend analysis and longitudinal reporting.
How to implement this in your team
Run a 30–45 minute audit workshop. Map each field to a moment-in-journey and to static/dynamic status.
Prototype short forms. Create two or three trimmed Contact Forms and Surveys based on the audit.
User test with three to five staff. Measure time-to-complete, error rates, and clarity.
Build Custom Tables for the views your managers need (e.g. cohort overview, safeguarding checks, outcomes summary).
Iterate. Add missing fields or split long forms further based on feedback.
Internal use vs external use
This article is written about the forms and surveys your team use. When it comes to forms and surveys that are filled in by your contacts (e.g.via a link, on a tablet you provide or in response to an email/text/QR code) you might need to ask many different questions in one go. That's completely fine. Here are some of the ways to make data entry feel more 'bitesize' when there are many question to ask.
For contact forms and surveys → use skip logic to skip past unnecessary questions based on a person's answer to an earlier question in that form or survey
For contact forms → use sections to break up the data entry process
For surveys → use sections to cluster groups of questions together and/or immersive view if you want a singular focus on a question at a time
For signup pages → combine several forms and/or surveys into a sequence so that people can add details to one tab at a time