Smart, Customizable Online Forms
Build branded, accessible application forms that collect exactly what you need, adapt to each applicant, and screen out ineligible submissions before they reach your team.
Smart online forms let you build application, nomination and submission forms with conditional logic, eligibility screening and over 25 question types, all without code. Submit.com forms show or hide questions based on earlier answers, carry information across programme phases, and work on any device, so applicants complete the right questions and teams collect clean, structured data.
What is a smart online form?
A smart online form is a digital application or submission form that changes what it asks based on the answers already given. Instead of showing every applicant every question, it reveals only the questions relevant to them, validates responses as they are entered, and structures the data so it can be reviewed, scored and reported on consistently.
For public funders, foundations, universities and awards bodies, this matters because the alternative is usually a long static document, a Word template sent by email, or a spreadsheet that no one can audit. Submit.com replaces those with forms that guide the applicant and protect the integrity of the data behind them.
What can Submit.com forms do?
Conditional logic
Logic jumps and child questions show or hide follow-up questions based on an applicant's earlier answers, so each person sees only what applies to them.
Eligibility screening
Auto-reject rules filter out submissions that do not meet your criteria at the point of answering, reducing the volume that reaches manual review.
Over 25 question types
From short and long text to file upload, smart tables, image select, on-screen signatures, payment and video, so you capture the exact evidence you need.
Multilingual portals
Applicants switch language inside the form without losing progress, with full support for Gaeilge (Irish) to help meet statutory language duties.
Cross-phase data
The Smart Builder carries answers forward into later phases, so applicants and reviewers never re-enter details already provided.
Autosave and mobile
Responsive forms with save-and-resume let applicants complete submissions from any device, improving completion rates.
How does conditional logic work?
A single parent question routes each applicant down a different path. Only the follow-up questions relevant to their answer appear, which keeps the form short and the data clean.
How many question types are there?
Submit.com offers over 25 question types, so you can collect precise, structured information rather than free text that is hard to compare. Commonly used types include:
Smart tables include auto-calculating formulae, which suits budgets and financial breakdowns where totals must add up before an applicant can continue. File upload questions let you restrict which file types are accepted per question, keeping submissions consistent.
How do forms carry data across phases?
The Smart Builder ports answers from an earlier phase into a later one, so applicants and reviewers do not re-key information already captured.
How do councils and funders use smart forms?
Persona-based conditional logic lets a single form serve several applicant types from one build. Cork City Council redesigned its residential parking permit process this way, using conditional logic to guide three applicant groups (homeowners, occupiers and renters) through only the questions relevant to each. During the wider digitisation of council services, online applications grew from around 1,000 in 2019 to 22,000 in 2020, with paper falling below 5% for high-volume processes.
Galway County Council built a single master form for its Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme that covers all four funding measures through conditional logic, with council-only due diligence fields that can be redacted from departmental exports. Because forms can be built once and reused, the same structure works as a template for other Irish councils, in both English and Gaeilge from a single build.
Smart forms versus static forms and spreadsheets
| Capability | Static PDF / Word form | Spreadsheet intake | Submit.com smart forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show only relevant questions | No, all questions shown | No | Yes, via conditional logic |
| Screen out ineligible applicants | Manual, after submission | Manual | Automatic eligibility rules |
| Structured, comparable data | Limited | Prone to formula and entry errors | Structured by question type |
| Applicant language choice | Separate documents per language | No | In-form switching, incl. Gaeilge |
| Reuse data across phases | Re-enter each time | Manual copy-paste | Smart Builder carries data forward |
| Audit trail and access control | None | Minimal | Role and stage based, logged |
Spreadsheets and email templates carry a risk that structured forms remove: nothing stops someone skipping a step, and copy-paste and broken formulas let errors spread unnoticed. A smart form enforces the process, so the data stays consistent from intake to decision.
Are the forms secure and accessible?
Every submission sits inside a platform built for public-sector and mission-driven use. Access is controlled by role and stage, so administrators, reviewers, finance and external partners see only what they need, and sensitive questions can be hidden or redacted from external reviewer views. Submit.com is SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant and Cyber Essentials certified. Weighted scoring and standardised criteria support consistent, defensible decisions once submissions are in.
Frequently asked questions
What is a smart online form?
A smart online form is a digital application or submission form that changes what it asks based on the answers already given. It reveals only the questions relevant to each applicant, validates responses as they are entered, and structures the data so it can be reviewed, scored and reported on consistently.
How many question types does Submit.com offer?
Submit.com offers over 25 question types, including short, medium and long text, number, multiple choice and multiple select, image select, file upload, smart tables with auto-calculating formulae, video recording, on-screen and authenticated signatures, and Stripe payment questions.
Can one form serve different types of applicant?
Yes. Conditional logic, using logic jumps and child questions, shows or hides follow-up questions based on earlier answers. Cork City Council used this to guide homeowners, occupiers and renters through a single residential parking permit form, so each group saw only the questions relevant to them.
Do the forms support Irish and other languages?
Yes. Submit.com forms let applicants switch language inside the form without restarting or losing data, with full support for Gaeilge (Irish). This helps public bodies meet statutory Irish language requirements, and entire forms can be converted to Gaeilge in a few steps with no technical expertise.
Are Submit.com forms accessible and secure?
Forms are mobile-responsive and access is controlled by role and stage, so people see only what they need, with sensitive fields redactable from external reviewer views. Submit.com is SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant and Cyber Essentials certified.
See smart forms in action
Book a demo and we will show you how to build a form for your programme, logic, languages and all.
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