Google Forms signup sheet: why sign-ups stall

You built the form and know the event, so it looks like a sign-up sheet to you. A neighbor who opens the link from a group chat sees only the title and whatever description you wrote, and nothing on the screen says whether the sign-up is open, full or for a particular day. If the one-response limit is switched on, Google can ask for a sign-in before the first question. A person without a Google account, or on a shared family phone, stops there, and a simulated visitor stops there too because it cannot sign in with Google.

• Open the link on a phone, signed out. Does the first screen say what the sign-up is for and when?
• Look for a sign-in prompt before the first question. Would someone without a Google account reach it?
• Type two adults and a child into the people box. Does the form accept that answer?
• Submit once, then read the thank-you screen. Does it name the session you booked?

Many neighbors decide from the title and the first few lines. They see the form name, then the description you wrote weeks ago, then a question about their name. If the description does not give the date, the place and whether spots are left, they cannot tell if the sign-up is still open, so they ask in the group chat or leave. Put those three facts above the first question, in plain words, and the rest of the form can stay short.

Turning on the one-response limit makes Google ask for a sign-in, and that sign-in stops anyone without a Google account or anyone sharing a phone with family. A neighbor who sees a login prompt on a sheet about a garden session has no reason to expect it, so many will close the tab. If the only goal is one entry per name, a required name field does that job for most sheets. Keep the sign-in only when the list has to match accounts.

A required question with one right answer is where a careful visitor gets stuck. A number box that accepts only digits rejects a group of two adults and a child. A list of times that all look alike sends people back to check, and some will leave rather than start again. Offer a choice of counts with an Other line, and label each time with its place and spot count, so each answer has one clear meaning.

A form you reuse for the next session keeps the old description, the old spot count and the old choices unless you edit each one. Before you send the link again, open it on a phone, signed out, and check the date on the first screen. Then run one sign-up through to the thank-you screen. The next group should not sign up for the last session.