How to Make a Digital Planner Fillable
The number one question I get when new members join our Facebook group is, “How do I make a digital planner fillable?” The answer is: You don't. When creating a digital planner to sell, you focus on the design of the pages and the ease of navigation for your end users.
Ease of navigation is provided by hyperlinking text or elements within our design so that the end user is taken to the destination page when clicked. This avoids the end user having to “turn the pages” when using the digital planner. And that's all you have to do—because when it comes to making a digital planner “fillable,” note-annotation apps do the heavy lifting.
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What is a Note Annotation App?
Note annotation apps are the apps your end user will upload their digital planner to in order to manipulate it digitally. Common apps used are Goodnotes for Apple devices, and NoteShelf for Android devices. There are also desktop versions available for those who want to use a digital planner on a computer. These apps enable an uploaded PDF to be manipulated digitally – or make it fillable.
These apps are smart. Any PDF can be uploaded to the app, and the end user can “write” on it as needed. The difference between a regular PDF and a digital planner is the hyperlinks. When we add hyperlinks for our end users, they can instantly jump to the page they want to manipulate rather than having to “turn the page.”
Here's a great video in our Facebook Group that shows how the note annotation apps work.
How to Use Note Annotation Apps
I am not an expert in these apps. I've learned enough about them that I can help my end users troubleshoot any issues they may have with our products, but I do not use them regularly. However, each note annotation app has both online support groups and an extensive learning center available. To learn more about them, I suggest using these links:
Frequently Asked Questions About Using a Note Annotation App
While I don't use the apps often, I do answer a lot of questions about them from our end users and Facebook group members. The most common two I've received are:
Why are my hyperlinks not working in Goodnotes?
The answer is that the end user is likely in “Edit” mode rather than “Read-Only” mode. They will need to locate the “pencil” icon in the top toolbar and change the mode to “Read-Only”. This will allow the hyperlinks to function.
I've deleted my digital planners, but I still can't upload a newly created one to test it. Why?
If you want to stay on the free plan with Goodnotes, you are only allowed to have 3 digital planners/documents uploaded at a time. You can delete them from the home screen; however, they also end up in your “Trash” folder. If you are receiving an error that you do not have enough space to upload a new digital planner to test it – you will want to go to the “settings” and empy out your “trash”. This will solve this issue – and allow you to test your product once you've exported it from Canva.
Your Next Steps
I hope that this helps to explain that the process of creating a digital planner does not include anything that has to do with making the digital planners fillable. Our process as digital product creators is to create a functional design with hyperlinks to provide ease of navigation.
While I recommend learning the basics of the note annotation apps, being an expert is unnecessary. As your customers have questions, you will learn more about the app, and you can start building a document with your frequently asked questions. This document could be included in your deliverable when you list your item for sale on Etsy.
If you have more questions about the creation process for digital planners – drop a post in our Facebook group, and I'll be there to help! You've got this!
