Guide users through text input like a pro

You’ve seen it happen: someone stares at an empty text box for 10 seconds, types something, deletes it, then types something completely different.

“What format do they want?” “How detailed should this be?” “What’s a good example?”

Empty text boxes can be intimidating. But with the right guidance, people fill them out confidently and give you exactly what you were asking for.

GuidedTrack’s *placeholder and *tip features solve this by putting helpful instructions exactly where users need them – right at the point of input.

Two Ways to Help Users

*placeholder – Gentle Hints Inside the Box

Placeholder text appears inside the text box and disappears as soon as the user starts typing. Perfect for showing format examples or quick hints:

The user sees the example format right in the text box, but it vanishes the moment they start typing their actual number.

*question: What's your phone number?
	*placeholder: e.g., +1234567890
	*save: phone_number

Use *placeholder for:

  • Format examples (phone numbers, dates, email addresses)
  • Quick hints that don’t need to be remembered
  • Simple guidance that fits in one line

*tip – Persistent Instructions Above the Box

The *tip keyword displays helpful information below the question but above the input area, and it stays visible while users type:

*question: What was your most recent strange dream like?
	*tip: For instance, you might say "I dreamt I turned into a toaster."
	*save: dream_description

The tip stays put, so users can reference it while they’re writing their response.

Use *tip for:

  • Complex instructions that are hard to memorize
  • Examples that users might want to reference while typing
  • Longer guidance/explanations

Why This Improves Your Data Quality

📐 More consistent formats: Placeholder examples show exactly how you want information formatted.

💡 Richer detail: Tips that explain why you’re asking encourage more thoughtful responses.

🔄 Less back-and-forth: Clear guidance upfront prevents the need to follow up for clarification.

Getting Started

Both features work with any *question that accepts text input:

*question: Your question here
	*placeholder: Format hint that disappears when typing starts
	*tip: Persistent guidance that stays visible while typing
	*save: variable_name

Small Details, Big Impact

These aren’t flashy features, but they make a real difference in how people experience your forms.

The person filling out your survey shouldn’t have to guess what you want. A simple placeholder or tip can turn confusion into confidence, blank responses into useful data.

Your users will appreciate the guidance, and you’ll appreciate the better responses.