"I want to know when a user started filling a form and when they submitted it, to measure completion time. Can I capture both timestamps automatically?"
Yes, it is possible to capture both the start time when a user begins filling out a form and the submission time when they complete it, helping you measure the form completion duration in Clappia. This can be achieved by leveraging Clappia’s automatic timestamps feature for submissions combined with smart use of workflow automation and time tracking blocks.
Knowing when a user starts and submits a form enables better insights into user behavior, app efficiency, and process bottlenecks. It helps measure form completion time, essential for optimizing data collection, improving app workflows, and enhancing user experience.
How Time Stamping Works in Clappia
Clappia automatically records the submission creation timestamp and the last modification timestamp for each form entry. This metadata is stored with every submission and visible in your app’s App Data/Submissions section. The submission creation time corresponds to the moment the form is first saved, usually upon submission, while modification time updates if the submission is edited later.
Although Clappia does not directly capture the exact time a user begins actively filling the form, app developers can configure the app to log a start time using workflows or timestamp input fields to approximate when the user initiated form filling.
Based on the Clappia help guides on workflows and app data management, below is a practical approach to automatically capture both start and end times of form filling:
Step 1: Add a Start Time Field in the Form:
- Insert a Time Selector block at the beginning of your form to capture when a user starts filling out the form.
- Configure the Time Selector block to auto-fill the current time as default when the form loads (enable "Default to current time" and disable "Allow time to be changed by user"), so the start time is recorded as soon as the user interacts with the form.
Step 2: Use Automatic Submission Timestamps:
- Leverage Clappia’s built-in submission creation timestamp which automatically records when the form is submitted.
- This timestamp acts as the end time of form completion.
Step 3: Calculate Completion Duration via Workflow or Formula Block:
- Add a Formula block or workflow step to calculate the time difference between the start time field and the submission timestamp.
- You can use this to generate a completion time metric, useful for analytics or to trigger further workflow steps.
Step 4: Save and Review Timestamp Data in Submissions:
- View all timestamp fields in your App Data/Submissions tab.
- The form’s start time from the Time Selector and the submission creation time together give you both timestamps automatically.
Practical Use Cases for Start and End Time Tracking
- Field Data Collection Apps: Measure the time taken by field agents to fill inspection or survey forms for operational efficiency.
- Attendance and Task Reports: Track how long employees spend on filling daily or weekly reports, enabling performance analysis.
- Customer Feedback Forms: Identify whether users are spending adequate time providing feedback or rushing through the form, improving survey design.
Advanced Configuration Options
- Workflows Wait Node: Utilize the Wait node in workflows to pause until a certain time or event occurs, to automate actions based on completion duration.
- Formula & Logic Blocks: Employ complex formulas for custom duration calculations or to trigger alerts if completion time exceeds thresholds.
- Automated Notifications: Set workflows to notify supervisors if a form takes too long to be completed, highlighting potential issues.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Time Selector not capturing current time: Ensure "Default to current time" is enabled and "Allow time to be changed" is disabled if you want an automatic capture.
- Submission timestamp missing: Check that submissions are completed and saved properly; partial saves may not record timestamps reliably.
- Incorrect duration calculations: Verify that start time and submission timestamps are in compatible formats for formula calculations.
Best Practices for Implementation
- Place the Start Time Field at the very beginning of the form to capture the first interaction time.
- Lock the Start Time field from user edits to ensure accuracy.
- Use submission timestamps as the reliable end time since they are automatically captured by Clappia.
- Test your workflow and formula logic thoroughly before deploying the app to end users.
Conclusion
Capturing the timestamps for when a user starts filling a form and when they submit it is feasible in Clappia by combining an auto-filled Time Selector block for start time with Clappia’s automatic submission creation timestamp. Calculating the completion duration becomes straightforward with workflow automation and formula blocks. This empowers app creators to analyze user engagement, enhance process efficiencies, and gather detailed time-based insights.
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