Addicted to Google Docs

From Evernote:

I recently read an article detailing how to create a fully customizable online statistics form using Google Docs. I've been an avid Google Docs user for quite some time, but it's mainly been for collaborating on documents or for hosting my course assignments. About a year ago, I discovered Gdoc Forms (I used this feature to create a contact form for faculty to request library instruction sessions). Since then, I have created online quizzes (a script by the name of flubaroo will grade the quizzes for you!), a competency tracker, and a statistics tracker thanks to this article!

Below is an example of the form I created.

If you look closely, you'll see that nothing is required for each submission. This allows you the freedom to choose multiple categories if needed. So far, I've been able to use the Notes field to track specific research questions I receive (perfect for collection development tracking), as well as tracking specific titles of ILL requests (including the shipping cost that needs to be tracked).

And speaking of tracking, that's one thing that this article lacked instruction in. I fully understood how to set up my form, but I couldn't logistically figure out how to compile everything at the end of the month. Did I want to keep the same form all year round? Should I create multiple forms for each month? Will it be easy enough to create graphs for the monthly report?

If you're curious to know how to maximize your forms, keep reading! 

1) I decided to create my form template and make 12 copies - one for each month of the year. This will allow me to easily go back if need be to view the raw statistics. The template also includes a workbook devoted to graphs (more on that later)

2) When you submit something to the form, it's automatically placed within a Gdoc spreadsheet. Here's an example:

You can see the time stamp on the far left which is VERY handy when tracking when questions are coming in each day for coverage-sake. I'm also wanting to know In-Person questions vs. Chat vs. Email vs. Phone. You can see 1 Email option (line 4) stuck in there.

3) At the end of the month, it's super easy to compile all areas by using the Show Summary of Responses feature:

4) It's then super easy to either copy the graphs that are automatically generated here - OR - you can use Google's graph function within the spreadsheet itself. In my new workbook (on the same spreadsheet as the form itself), I have a template that's used to transfer the numbers per category:

I then highlight everything here and create a nice pie graph:

I also took time to create a graph using the time stamp material:

All in all, I can have all my statistics and graphs compiled in under 30 minutes (whereas before it took me an entire day to compile it all).

If you choose to try this, I'd love to hear what tweaks you make to enhance the workflow!