Customizing Mobile Forms - Rishan Solutions

Introduction

In today’s mobile-first business landscape, accessing customer data on-the-go isn’t just convenient—it’s essential. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Mobile App empowers sales reps, service technicians, and field users to perform critical tasks from their smartphones and tablets. But for mobile access to be truly effective, the user interface must be intuitive, streamlined, and tailored to specific mobile use cases. This is where customizing mobile forms comes into play.

While standard desktop forms in Dynamics 365 are packed with detail, mobile forms need to be minimal, fast, and context-aware. A cluttered mobile form can hinder productivity, but a well-optimized one enhances user experience, accelerates task completion, and drives CRM adoption among field users.

In this article, we’ll explore the what, why, and how of customizing mobile forms in Dynamics 365. From the differences between desktop and mobile views to step-by-step customization guidance, we’ll help you build forms that make mobile work smarter.

What Are Mobile Forms in Dynamics 365?

In Dynamics 365, forms are the interface users interact with to view, edit, and create records. Each entity (like Leads, Contacts, Cases, Opportunities) can have multiple forms for different purposes, roles, or devices.

Mobile forms are a version of these forms specifically designed and optimized for access via the Dynamics 365 Mobile App. While all model-driven forms are technically accessible from mobile, only forms configured and customized for mobile will provide a seamless experience.

Why Customize Mobile Forms?

Desktop and mobile users have very different needs and environments. Desktop forms are often rich with data, multiple tabs, and complex business logic. On mobile, such complexity becomes a usability issue.

Benefits of customizing mobile forms:

Improved User Experience: Streamlined layouts reduce cognitive load and allow users to find information quickly.
Faster Data Entry: Fewer fields and simpler structures accelerate updates and reduce errors.
Better Performance: Lightweight forms load faster, especially with limited bandwidth.
Increased CRM Adoption: Users are more likely to embrace mobile tools when the experience is intuitive.
Field-Focused Functionality: Mobile forms can highlight only the fields and actions relevant to field tasks.

Key Differences: Desktop vs. Mobile Forms

Feature	Desktop Form	Mobile Form
Field Display	Full set of fields and tabs	Reduced, essential-only fields
Navigation	Tabbed interface with subgrids	Linear scrolling or simplified layout
Business Rules	Fully supported	Mostly supported
JavaScript	Limited support on mobile	Only supported functions apply
Performance	High bandwidth, powerful CPU	Must work efficiently on mobile data
File Access	Drag-and-drop, rich file tools	Mobile camera and file integration

Planning Your Mobile Form Customization

Before jumping into customization, it’s important to plan based on your users, their tasks, and the scenarios they encounter.

Ask Yourself:

What tasks do mobile users perform most often?
Which fields are absolutely necessary for those tasks?
What data entry challenges are common on mobile?
Do users need access to lookups, related records, or activities?
Are some users in low-connectivity environments?

Define the Essentials:

Only include fields that are:

Required for business logic
Frequently viewed or updated on the go
Relevant to the user’s role

Customizing Mobile Forms in Dynamics 365

Step 1: Choose the Right Form Type

Navigate to: Power Apps > Solutions > Tables > [Choose Entity] > Forms

There are several form types:

Main Form: Used in both desktop and mobile
Quick Create Form: Lightweight form for new record creation
Card Form: Used in views and mobile dashboards
Quick View Form: Embedded subform showing related entity data

For mobile, focus on Main Forms, but optimize layout and logic specifically for smaller screens.

Step 2: Design a Mobile-Friendly Layout

Here are best practices for layout:

Use One Column Layout: Mobile forms stack content vertically. Avoid multi-column designs.
Group Fields Logically: Use sections to group related fields (e.g., Contact Info, Address, Notes).
Minimize Tabs: Tabs are hard to navigate on mobile. Combine into a single scrollable layout if possible.
Prioritize Fields: Put the most important fields at the top.
Hide Desktop-Only Fields: Hide or remove fields that are irrelevant to mobile users.

Step 3: Apply Business Rules and Logic

Business rules help automate form behavior without code. They’re mostly supported on mobile.

Examples:

Show or hide a field based on another field’s value
Make fields required under certain conditions
Default a value based on user role

Go to Power Apps > Business Rules to create and apply them to specific forms.

⚠️ Note: Not all business rule actions (like Show Error Message) work on mobile.

Step 4: Use Field Properties for Mobile Optimization

Each field has properties you can configure:

Field Label: Keep it short for mobile clarity
Field Visibility: Hide optional fields for mobile users
Read-Only Settings: Prevent unnecessary edits
Default Values: Prepopulate fields to reduce manual entry

Step 5: Customize with JavaScript (Optional)

You can add JavaScript to forms for more advanced logic, but mobile has limited support.

Supported Mobile Events:

OnLoad
OnSave
OnChange

Avoid using unsupported or complex DOM manipulations. Always test JavaScript on actual mobile devices.

Step 6: Enable Mobile Access and Test

Ensure the form is enabled for mobile use:

Go to the Form Properties
Check the box: “Enable for mobile”

Then test using:

The Preview in Power Apps Studio
The actual Dynamics 365 Mobile App on Android/iOS

Test common tasks like viewing a record, editing fields, and navigating between records.

Advanced Mobile Features and Customizations

1. Quick Create Forms for Fast Entry

Great for creating leads, tasks, or appointments in the field. Keep them short and context-aware.

2. Mobile Cards (Compact Views)

Show key record data in list views. Customize which fields appear in the summary (like account name, status, phone).

3. Business Process Flows (BPF) on Mobile

Streamline workflows like lead qualification or case resolution. Mobile supports BPFs visually and functionally.

4. Canvas Apps for Custom Mobile Scenarios

If the standard model-driven forms are too rigid, build a custom mobile app using Power Apps Canvas App tailored to a specific task or department.

Use Case Examples

Sales Rep on the Road

Custom mobile form shows Account Name, Contact, Deal Stage, Estimated Close Date
Hides credit status and other financial data not needed by field reps

Service Technician

Work Order form includes Customer Info, Issue Summary, Parts Used, Photo Capture
Includes offline support and barcode scanning fields

Event Staff

Quick Create form to add leads at trade shows
Prepopulated fields: Event Name, Assigned Rep, Lead Source

Security Considerations

Even mobile-optimized forms should respect Dynamics 365 security architecture:

Role-based form access: Show different forms to different security roles
Field-level security: Hide sensitive fields unless explicitly allowed
Mobile App Management (MAM): Use tools like Intune to enforce device-level policies

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overloading the form: Cramming all desktop fields into the mobile form defeats the purpose
Ignoring real-world testing: Always test changes on actual mobile devices
Neglecting offline support: Not all fields or customizations work offline
Not training users: Even a good form needs onboarding and support for users

Best Practices for Mobile Form Design

Use concise labels and help text
Keep the number of fields per section low
Use toggles and drop-downs over text entry where possible
Group data by task (e.g., “Client Info” vs. “Appointment Info”)
Add icons or color indicators to visually guide users
Hide unnecessary system fields (e.g., Created On, Modified By)

The Future of Mobile Form Customization

Microsoft continues to enhance the mobile experience in Dynamics 365:

Enhanced offline capabilities
AI-powered data suggestions
Mobile-specific form enhancements
Improved drag-and-drop mobile design tools
Integration with Teams and Viva for field collaboration

With these improvements, mobile forms will become even more intelligent, responsive, and personalized.