14 DAY TRIAL // Google is adding a few new features to Forms that should make the tool a bit more useful and flexible. For example, there's now an optional "progress bar," as well as the possibility to embed a YouTube video.
"From classroom pop quizzes to RSVPs for your team offsite, you can use Google Forms in tons of different ways -- which is why it's important to be able to customize each form to fit your needs. Starting today, you’ll be able to take advantage of four new features to create your perfect form," Google explained.
One of the new features is an optional progress bar which provides a visual clue indicating how much of the form or survey has been completed and how much of it is left. The feature is available for all forms from the Form Settings section.
Another important addition is data validation, which makes it possible to vet certain portions of the form before it is submitted. For example, an email field can be checked to see if it actually contains a properly formatted email.
"You can now embed a YouTube video right inside a form -- perfect if you want to get feedback or ask questions about a video," Google explained another addition.
"This works really well for quizzes in class, especially if paired with data validation and the progress bar."
Finally, it's now possible to add a custom message to forms that have expired or have been closed. This way, it's possible to provide some information and additional details to respondents even if they can't complete the form anymore.
Google Forms is certainly not the most glamorous Google product, it's not even the most glamorous of the Google Docs tools, but that doesn't make it any less important. It's one of those tools that you never think about but which you're glad to have when you need it.