Default value pre-selected in a request form | Community
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ab_cdef
New Participant
March 23, 2025

Default value pre-selected in a request form

  • March 23, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 526 views

Here's some food for thought:

We can't pre-set a custom field to automatically select a default value only when a user creates a new request using a request-level custom form. The only way to have a value pre-selected is to apply it universally, meaning the value will always be pre-selected regardless of context.

Any thoughts or objections?

1 reply

Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
New Participant
March 23, 2025

 

I'll offer both @ab_cdef,

 

I believe people value the ability to make their own choices.

 

Defaulting a selection may seem like a time saver, but it interrupts the pattern of thinking and selecting.

 

Default values cannot be scrutinized for authenticity, which weakens their validity and usefulness, which can erode trust in the system.

 

Some people don't know the right answer, so allowing them to skip a question without requiring them to guess then makes it clear that they don't know, and creates an opportunity for discussion, education, and improvement.

 

If the default is always the right answer, then calculate and transparently present with its read-only state then confirming It Is What It Is.

 

But if there is even the slightest chance some other answer would be better, ask, and let people choose.

 

Regards,

Doug

    Lyndsy-Denk
    Lyndsy-Denk
    New Participant
    March 31, 2025

    I concur with @doug_den_hoed__atappstore that we should use the preselection option sparingly, although I'm a fan of choice.

    Here's my use case, though, for when we specifically opted to preselect a choice: Users keep asking for marketing assets in a printable format even though leadership is discouraging printed assets due to expense and environmental impacts. We set the field "Do you want this formatted for printing?" to "No." The field has help text explaining the policy. The hope is to encourage the cultural shift.

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