People submit ideas in your portal using the ideas form layout. It is a single step by default, but you can customize it just like any other record layout. With dynamic forms, Aha! Ideas Advanced users can create multistep forms with conditional rules that show or skip specific steps during the idea submission process — so people follow different paths through the form based on what they share. This helps you collect detailed feedback in a consistent way while keeping the submission experience straightforward, yet personalized for customers. They can fully detail their request, and you can capture key information and efficiently evaluate every idea.
Ideas portals with the new design support dynamic idea submission forms. Check your portal settings in Branding → Custom → Design to make sure you are using the new design before you create a dynamic form.
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Overview
Build dynamic forms in the ideas portal submission layout by creating steps and then adding fields to each step. Conditional rules determine what happens when someone selects a particular value. You can base rules on idea category or specific custom field types: pre-defined choice lists, editable choice lists, pre-defined tag fields, and tag fields. For each rule, you define what to do when a value is selected (such as showing or skipping steps, sending someone to submission, or showing a custom message).
Start by mapping out your ideal question paths using a note or a whiteboard. Then, translate those paths into simple, specific rules so it is clear which answers should reveal, skip, or complete each step.
Build a dynamic form
Access your custom ideas layout
Navigate to your User menu -> Settings -> Account -> Custom layouts -> Ideas. Then, select the Ideas portal - Ideas layout tab.
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Choose the layout you want to edit:
To start from scratch, click Add custom layout.
To start from an existing layout, find the layout customers use to submit feedback in the list. Hover over it and click Edit.
When the custom layout editor opens, select the Create Ideas Portal - Idea (Pop-up) tab.
Add steps
Think of a step as a way to group related fields. For example, you could create a step to gather general information about an idea, such as the name and description, then a step for each idea category. Use existing custom fields in your steps or create new ones as you go.
You can use the same field in multiple steps, but only once in each step. This makes it possible to define a question once and use it wherever you need it (rather than maintaining several duplicate fields).
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From the layout editor, click Add step.
If you do not have an Add step button, confirm your account is on the Aha! Ideas Advanced plan and that your portal uses the new design.
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Name the step. Then, drag the fields you want to use onto it. Check the box next to Required for fields you want to require for submission.
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Notes:
When you drag a field onto a step, that field remains available in the list of existing fields. You can add it to another step if you want to reuse the same question on a different path.
If you set a field as required on one step, that field is required on every step where it appears.
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Add additional steps.
Add rules
A rule uses a person's answer (such as a category or custom field value) to decide what happens next. Use them to move the person to another step in the form, submit the form immediately, or show a custom message instead of another step.
On your first step, click Add rule.
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Configure the rule:
Select Category or the custom field and the value you want to base the rule on.
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Select the action you want to occur when someone selects the value.
If you select Show message, enter what you want the message to say in the text field that appears.
Add rules to other steps to continue building out your dynamic form.
Select Save layout to save the form.
Test your dynamic form
Testing your dynamic form confirms that each path behaves as intended, so people only see relevant questions and required fields work properly at every step. It also gives you confidence that submitted ideas include the complete, consistent information your team needs to review and prioritize requests efficiently.
Go to your ideas portal.
Click Add idea.
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Follow the steps in the form and confirm that:
People see only the questions that apply to the values they select.
When the same field appears on more than one step, it shows the value you already entered and allows you to adjust it.
Submit the idea.
Open the submitted idea in your Aha! account. Review the idea details to confirm that all fields appear as expected.