Missing Features in Forms

[Adrian Hyde]

Just sharing to help highlight some missing features.

I received a survey from one of the product groups at Microsoft asking me to answer some questions.  It was not using Forms.  When I asked why they chose not to use Forms, here was the answer I got:

"we use SurveyGizmo because it's a much more robust tool for our research needs - logic, randomization, card sorting, etc. We're actually going to be moving to another tool soon called Qualtrics that will provide even more options for us."

I've seen some other Microsoft PG's use Qualtrics a lot too.

[#2]

The reality is that Forms will never replace things like SurveyMonkey, SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics or other purpose-built products. Much the same as Planner won't replace Trello or Asana.
However the aim of these products is to provide enough functionality for the average user that they don't need to look elsewhere outside of Office 365, and so therefore their experience and data remains within the walled garden.
I myself use SurveyMonkey for some of my client engagements, and Forms for others.
I'd suggest heading over to the UserVoice site for Forms and submitting feature requests and/or upvoting others.

[#3]

You may be right, although I would contend to your point that unlike Planner (who have made it clear that it is an entry-level product versus Project) - I've not heard the Forms PG say they are aiming low or are positioning the product as a "good enough" solution.
Otherwise the main reason I shared this feedback was to let the team know they have plenty of feedback from colleagues in Redmond which can hopefully help them build a more solid offering.

[#4]

Microsoft Forms is lacking in, what I believe, a lot of basic fundamentals for something labeled as a 'form'.

We used Smartsheet for several years before moving fully to Microsoft 365, but may end up returning to Smartsheet, specifically due to the serious shortcomings of Microsoft Forms.

Smartsheet sheets have amazing abilities in a number of areas that reach far beyond Microsoft offerings in Excel and Forms.

The ease with which forms can be created within a Smartsheet sheet, and the capability of those forms, is light years beyond the paltry thing Forms is. When I say 'forms', it is because a single Smartsheet sheet, can have multiple forms that collect data within the single sheet. Then that single sheet can easily and quickly generate multiple reports to disperse/display the data at the users will. Data from a sheet can be easily sorted and filtered beyond what Excel permits without having to become a programmer.

Consider also that in forms for Smartsheet, you can attach/upload files within the form.

Then look at how Smartsheet can report data from a multitude of sheets, quickly and easily, and it becomes yet another effort in frustration dealing with the Microsoft behemoth mentality of inflexibility.

I've been fight with the Microsoft monopoly for over 40 years and if there were a viable business alternative that cost 4x more than Microsoft 365, I would gladly pay it this minute.

Microsoft Forms is a sad joke.