Use Cases: Academic research and surveys. 

Best Practices

• Accessibility Checker: Scan for accessibility with the built-in Check Survey Accessibility tool (Tools, Review) before publishing.

• Question Design: Use accessible question types such as multiple choice, Text Entry, Dropdown, and Rank Order Matrix. Avoid drag and drop, hot spots, or graphic sliders.

• Respondent Instructions: Provide clear guidance for form (e.g. (e.g., "Select all that apply" or expected date formats) inside the primary Question Text field before the options. Write out "(Required)" in the text prompt rather than relying solely on a red asterisk. 

• Form Settings: Add a descriptive survey title in the Display Name field (Survey Options > General). Change the next/back arrows to descriptive text, (e.g. Next page, submit).

Use Cases: Events, surveys, and public data collection

Best Practices

• Use Cases: Events, surveys, and public data collection. 

• Color and Visuals: Use high contrast colors and avoid animated header graphics or auto-playing background media. 

• Question Design: Provide a clear form title and section descriptions. Use radio buttons for single-select questions and checkboxes for multi-select choices. 

• Respondent Instructions: Use the Description field directly under the question title to provide clear completion instructions. 

• Form Settings: Enable "Show progress bar" in Settings for multi-section forms. Uncheck organization domain restrictions if collecting responses from external parties without Single Sign-On (SSO).

Use Cases: Events, campus surveys, campus polls.

Best Practices

• Form Structure: Divide long surveys into logical pages using Add new > Section to reduce visual overload and cognitive friction. 

• Question Design: Use radio buttons for single answers and checkboxes for multiple selection to keep navigation intuitive.  

• Respondent Instructions: Use the Subtitle field under question prompts to provide explicit instructions for completing questions 

• Form Settings: Change sharing permissions to "Anyone can respond" when distributing to external non-university users.

Use Case: Designed to be converted into a fillable PDF form or a printable hardcopy. 

Best Practices

• Document Structure: Add a H1 style for the title and enter metadata title under File>Info>properties.

• Field Design: Use an underline for text placeholders for data. Create the underline by using the underline tool or ctrl + U combined with tab stops. Do no use the word developer form controls. 

• Respondent Instructions: Position completion instructions directly above or immediately preceding the response line so users and screen readers encounter formatting requirements before attempting to fill in the blank.  

• Export Settings: Convert using File > Save As (PDF) or Export > Create PDF/XPS with "Document structure tags for accessibility" enabled. Never use "Print to PDF.

Use Cases: Administrative petitions, financial records, Human Resources. Forms require a fixed layout and official digital signatures. 

Best Practices

• Field Tooltips & Instructions: Mirror all visible on-page instructions directly into the field's Tooltip property (e.g., "First Name - Required"). The Tooltip serves as the vocalized completion instruction when a screen reader focuses on the field.

• Tab Order & Tagging: Ensure a logical reading order by verifying field sequence in the Fields Panel and setting Page Properties > Tab Order > "Use Document Structure".

• Signature Features: Insert native Adobe Acrobat Digital Signature fields or integrate enterprise e-sign platforms (Adobe Sign/DocuSign). Avoid "print-sign-scan" workflows, which create unreadable image-only documents.