The KAUST Information Technology Department blog
09 August, 2026
You can use this at KAUST. Everyone at KAUST has access to both Microsoft Forms and Google Forms using their KAUST account. If you or your department has a Formstack license, you can use pre-filled links there too.
If you create online forms, there is a simple feature you may have overlooked: pre-filled links.
Instead of sending everyone to exactly the same blank form, you can create different links that open the same form with selected answers already completed.
You're not creating multiple forms. You're creating multiple entry points into the same form.
Think about the last form you completed.
The first question may have been something you had already decided before you even opened the form.
Perhaps you clicked Morning Session. Perhaps you clicked Student. Or perhaps you selected 😀 Great after an event.
Once you've already made that choice, asking you to make it again inside the form is just another click.
Pre-filled links don't replace your form. They simply remove questions people have already answered by clicking a button or link.
Imagine you've just attended an event and are asked for feedback.
How was your experience?
Each face opens the same feedback form with that rating already selected.
The next question might simply be:
Every extra step gives someone another opportunity to stop.
Once you understand the idea, you'll start seeing opportunities almost everywhere.
Perfect for articles, newsletters, announcements, guides, webpages, or services.
👍 Yes 👎 No
If the same event is offered more than once, let people choose the session before opening the form.
🌅 Morning 🌇 Afternoon 💻 Virtual
Let people choose what they want to do before opening the form.
❓ Ask a question 💡 Share an idea 📝 Submit feedback 🙋 Request assistance
Let the rating itself become the first click.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good ⭐⭐⭐ Fair
If the first question identifies who is responding, let them make that choice before opening the survey.
🎓 Student 👩🏫 Faculty 🔬 Researcher 👨💼 Staff
Pre-filled links aren't limited to a single question. You can pre-fill as much or as little of your form as makes sense.
For example, imagine the IT website uses the same feedback form for every Knowledge Base article. When someone clicks 👍 Helpful, the form could already know which article they're reading, which product or service it relates to, and that they selected a positive response.
The reader doesn't need to provide that information again. They can focus on the comments or suggestions only they can provide.
The exact steps vary slightly between platforms. Here's how to create pre-filled links in Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, and Formstack.
A quick note before you begin: Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, and Formstack are cloud-based services that are updated regularly. Over time, buttons, menus, and feature names may change as new updates are released. If something looks different from the steps below, look for a similar option or refer to the provider's latest documentation.
Create and test your pre-filled links after your form is finalized. If questions or answer choices change later, existing links may no longer work as intended and may need to be regenerated.
Every pre-filled option has its own unique URL. If you create several, keep a simple record of what each one does so they're easier to maintain later.
When a form is retired, export any submissions you need to retain and delete the form to keep things tidy.
Keep your entry points simple. It can be tempting to create a button for every possible scenario, but if people have to stop and think about which one to choose, you've simply moved the complexity from the form to the webpage. The buttons are gateways into the form, not replacements for it.
File uploads add a few extra things to consider when choosing your form platform, particularly storage and who can complete the form.
Uploaded files use the storage associated with the account hosting the form, so consider how many files you expect to receive.
Adding a file-upload question also requires respondents to sign in with their KAUST account. The form can no longer accept anonymous responses.
Formstack does not have the same KAUST sign-in requirement for file uploads, but its storage is shared across KAUST Formstack users.
For forms expecting significant uploads, we recommend connecting Formstack to OneDrive to reduce the risk of reaching the shared storage limit.
Google Workspace: 100 GB of pooled storage, including Google Drive.
OneDrive: 25 GB. This can be increased by IT when there is a justified business, teaching, or research need.
Google Workspace: 5 GB of pooled storage. This allocation cannot be increased.
OneDrive: 25 GB. This can be increased by IT when there is a justified business, teaching, or research need.
The best forms are the ones people barely have to think about.
The next time you create a survey, registration form, request form, or feedback form, don't just ask:
Also ask:
Sometimes improving a form isn't about asking fewer questions. It's about not asking the same question twice.
Ready to create your own form or explore the platforms available at KAUST?
