Overview
Fuse is NueForm's real-time collaborative activity platform. Unlike standard forms where each respondent fills out the form independently, Fuse activities are live, shared experiences where multiple participants interact simultaneously and see results update in real-time.
Fuse activities are perfect for:
- Live presentations and meetings
- Classroom engagement
- Team brainstorming sessions
- Event audience participation
- Real-time polling during webinars
- Group decision-making
How Fuse Works
Creating a Fuse Activity
- From the dashboard, click New Form.
- Select Fuse as the form type.
- Choose an activity type from the activity picker.
- Configure the activity (title, options, settings).
- Publish and share the link.
Participant Flow
- Participants open the Fuse activity URL.
- If Ask for Name is enabled, they enter their display name.
- If Allow Anonymous is enabled, they can skip the name step.
- They participate in the activity (vote, add items, rank, etc.).
- Results update in real-time for all participants.
Real-Time Updates
Fuse activities use a polling-based state system where participants' actions are sent to the server, aggregated, and the updated state is broadcast back to all connected participants. Every vote, submission, or interaction appears live.
Activity Categories
Fuse activities are organized into three categories:
Polls (8 types)
Poll activities present options and collect votes. Results are displayed as live-updating charts, bars, or percentages.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Classic Poll | Pick one option. See live percentages. |
| Multi-Vote Poll | Vote for multiple options at once. |
| Image Poll | Vote on images instead of text. |
| This or That | Binary choice between two options with live split. |
| Ranked Poll | Drag to rank options. See consensus ranking. |
| Elimination Poll | Multi-round voting. Lowest gets eliminated each round. |
| Sliding Scale | Place yourself on a spectrum. See the distribution. |
| Would You Rather | Choose between two dilemmas. See the live split. |
Lists (5 types)
List activities let participants collaboratively create, rank, and curate content.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Collaborative List | Everyone adds items to a shared list. |
| Ranked List | Add items and upvote/downvote. Community leaderboard. |
| Pros & Cons | Two-column debate board. |
| Top N | Submit personal top picks. Aggregated master ranking. |
| Rate & Reveal | Rate 1-10. See the live histogram. |
Interactive (8 types)
Interactive activities provide unique engagement experiences.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Word Cloud | Submit words. Watch an animated cloud form. |
| Hot Takes | Agree/disagree with a bold statement. Live tug-of-war. |
| Q&A Board | Submit and upvote questions. |
| Predictions | Make predictions. See crowd consensus. |
| Tier List | Drag items into S-F tiers. See community rankings. |
| Map Pins | Pin locations on a map. See where everyone is. |
| Caption This | Submit captions for an image. Upvote the best. |
| Bracket | Tournament-style bracket with crowd voting. |
Fuse Settings
All Fuse activities share a common set of settings:
| Setting | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
askForName | boolean | Require participants to enter their display name before joining. | false |
allowAnonymous | boolean | Allow participants to skip the name entry step. | true |
displayMode | string | How poll results are shown: inline_bars (horizontal bars within options) or bar_chart (separate bar chart). | inline_bars |
showParticipantAvatars | boolean | Show avatar icons for connected participants. | true |
showActivityIndicators | boolean | Show real-time activity indicators (floating notifications when someone interacts). | true |
activityIndicatorStyle | string | Style of activity indicators: pill, float_up, spark, or none. | pill |
indicatorRandomColors | boolean | Use random colors for activity indicators instead of the theme accent color. | false |
descriptionPosition | string | Where the description text is positioned: top or center. | top |
questionFontSize | string | Font size for the activity title: small, medium, or large. | medium |
descriptionFontSize | string | Font size for the description: small, medium, or large. | medium |
widgetScale | string | Scale of the activity widget: compact or large. | large |
Participant Model
Each participant in a Fuse activity is tracked with:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
sessionId | A unique identifier for the participant's browser session. |
displayName | The name entered by the participant (or null for anonymous). |
joinOrder | The order in which the participant joined. |
joinedAt | Timestamp when the participant joined. |
lastSeenAt | Timestamp of the participant's last interaction. |
Action Model
Every interaction in a Fuse activity is recorded as an action:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
actionType | The type of action: vote, add_item, upvote, downvote, rank, rate, pin, submit_text. |
payload | Activity-specific data for the action (e.g., which option was voted for, what text was submitted). |
createdAt | Timestamp of the action. |
Single-Action vs. Multi-Action Activities
Some activities are single-action -- the participant performs one action and their participation is complete. Others allow multiple actions over time.
Single-action activities (enter read-only mode after the first action):
- Classic Poll, Image Poll, Hot Takes, Sliding Scale, Predictions, Map Pins, Ranked Poll, Top N, Tier List
Multi-action activities (allow ongoing interaction):
- Multi-Vote Poll, This or That, Would You Rather, Collaborative List, Ranked List, Pros & Cons, Q&A Board, Word Cloud, Caption This, Rate & Reveal
Multi-round activities (span multiple phases):
- Elimination Poll, Bracket
Theming Fuse Activities
Fuse activities inherit the same theming system as standard NueForm forms. All theme properties (colors, fonts, branding) apply to Fuse activities. Additionally, Fuse activities support their own set of CSS selectors for custom styling. See the Custom CSS guide for details.
Custom CSS for Fuse
Each Fuse activity type has its own CSS selectors in addition to the shared general and activity selectors. The CSS editor in the Fuse builder automatically shows the relevant selectors for the selected activity type. See the Custom CSS guide for the complete reference.