Wufoo – Form Building for Dummies and Experts Alike
I came across Wufoo while searching for a way to create an online survey and was very impressed by the experience.
The site is pretty easy to use for first time form builders, and the free plan gives you three forms, 10 fields per form, three reports, and a maximum of 100 entries per month totaled across all forms. Here’s a random form I created to use as an example (feel free to fill it out if you like):
I like how users are able to personalize their forms by creating custom themes with their theme builder. You can also integrate the form into your own site via their code manager, and the XHTML and CSS code is available in case you’re looking for an example of how to build a form from scratch. Although I’m not versed in web development, I thought I should mention that the Wufoo team has made their API available for advanced developers to use. And last but not least, you can stay up to date with form results by using an RSS feed or choosing the option of receiving an email every time a form has been filled out and submitted.
The one thing that really strikes me about Wufoo is the personality that creators Chris Campbell, Kevin Hale and Ryan Campbell have bestowed upon it. The overall execution of the site is also worth noting (look at me, acting like I’m some kind of graphic designer – I’m colorblind for gosh sakes!). An example of the “personality” I’m talking about can be found on the log off screen, where you’re greeted with “Parting is such sweet sorrow. Are you sure you want to logout?”. I think it’s much better than the obligatory “Thanks for using blahblah.com, goodbye.” I’ll admit that I definitely smiled and laughed plenty of times while browsing around and creating forms, which really added to the entire user experience.
In terms of design and usability, the site is pretty intuitive with plenty of Flash and javascript throughout.
My Verdict: I would definitely recommend trying out Wufoo if you’re ever in need of an online survey, quiz, contact form, et cetera (the FAQ page lists several other uses for the site). You can learn more about the site at Wufoo.com or by visiting their blog.
Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur
Post Scriptum: For those of you that are curious, the name Wufoo comes from a combination of Wu-Tang and Foo Fighters, two favorites of Kevin Hale.
» This entry was filed under Tools and tagged with: bootstrapping, forms, polls, wufoo
8 Comments
Chris Campbell
Thanks for the fantastic writeup, and that’s great that it put a smile on your face. I must note that it definitely wasn’t me who came up with the color scheme since I’m also colorblind.
Jan 18th, 2007
TOMAS
Hey Chris, finally someone who shares my pain! As you can see, I’ve overcome my colorblindness by sticking exclusively to shades of orange and gray… at least I’m hoping it’s orange and gray.
Thanks again for putting out such a fun and easy-to-use site, it really looks like you guys had a blast putting it all together!
Jan 18th, 2007
Chris Campbell
My firefox color picker says it’s orange and grey, so I’ll assume you’re right!
Jan 18th, 2007
Chris
Wufoo is cool! I like your survey, too. I tried to get a client to use Wufoo awhile back, but he went with a Russian programmer instead, and then had a horrid experience. In my mind, the beautiful reports that Wufoo provides are enough reason to use it.
Jan 19th, 2007
TOMAS
I will wrap up the results of the survey in a report to show on the blog. Surprisingly, five entries have been submitted which is five more than I expected!
🙂
Jan 19th, 2007
Tony Y.
I’d like to recommend a new product to you, called Nenest Form Server (http://www.nenest.com). Nenest is much more powerful than Wufoo and it can handle a wider range of data, supporting large texts, rich formatted texts, file attachments, RSS feed, email notification, full-test search and many many more.
Feb 12th, 2007
Jason
Hey Tomas,
Thanks for getting me introduced to Wufoo. I created and have been using a form from them to send to all of our past clients to get there feedback.
So far, it has been great and I hope to explore their services more!
..be bold
Feb 12th, 2007
Tim Love
Hi thanks for this post about Wufoo. As someone who has been working in SEO for over 10 years – both commercially and as a self employed home working type ‘bod’, I love little cheat tricks like Wufoo. Even better that it’s named after one of my favourite rock bands! Excellent! As a postscript, I see Wufoo has survived the test of time… It’s still here since 2007 – whilst the alternative mentioned in one of the other comments has since died! Cheers. Tim
Nov 1st, 2011
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