If you could reimagine a spreadsheet, what would you change?
Nuno Job
8 replies
I’m Nuno, co-founder at Decipad (https://www.decipad.com), and we’re constantly trying to reimagine the spreadsheet.
Today, making decisions and communicating with numbers is still really hard. It’s hard to learn Excel, and even once you’ve mastered it, it still has it’s drawbacks… These are some pain points from spreadsheet users we’re trying to address…
1. Giving context to numbers. Being able to differentiate easily between meters and feet, to avoid errors.
2. Quickly organize and showcase data that matters.
3. Quickly publish models that look great.
Recently, we just launched Data Views! It’s similar to pivot tables, but you can easily reuse data throughout your notebook. All you need to do is drag and drop. We’re really excited because it’s a way to organize and vizualise your data in seconds. And, you don’t need to use any formulas.
Don’t get me wrong — this is not to say that we think spreadsheets are bad. In fact, quite the opposite: they’re essential. But, spreadsheets force models through a visual grid. They obscure data relationships in formulas hidden behind cells, are prone to breaking, and are not very elegant looking.
What are your biggest pain points when it comes to spreadsheets?
Replies
orliesaurus@orliesaurus
Dashcam
Not my personal pain-point, but rather what I see in the real-world usage.
Writing complicated formulas or getting pivot tables to do what you want without having knowledge of spreadsheet
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Usebiolink
I don't use Excel or spreadsheet regularly but I am curious about your product. I am on the waiting! Best regards 🤗
@mbdemir Reach out to me at giulia@decipad.com and I'll get you set up with access 😉
Usebiolink
@giulia_camargo Thanks Giulia :) I'll keep your offer in mind 🤗😉
I hate the way I have to decipher nested formulas when looking at other people's work (especially for the first time). Imagine if the formula could be modelled from a UI perspective to say what was being calculated rather than 'Spreadsheet'!f3:x9
@ejaaz_patel I completely understand, I sometimes even forget calculations I created myself! We're working on creating readable calculations / formulas on Decipad... So you can read "Income = Salary - Expenses" instead of F1 + H2. You should come check it out!
My biggest pain with spreadsheets are the heavy formulas and how they are handled: the smallest change can easily break the whole spreadsheet (as formulas can be hard to read) and they can also lead to performance issues.
If two people are contributing into a shared model/notebook, some spreadsheet products allow users to leave comments without necessarily changing the model. Is it/will it be something supported in Decipad?