I saw a little link at the top of the Google Docs app that said “Product Survey” and I decided to go ahead and give Google some feedback from my latest attempt at using Google Docs (specifically spreadsheets).Â
According to ReadWriteWeb, the [compete.com] data shows that Google spreadsheets is not ready for the enterprise. In broad terms I agree. However, there are smaller use cases that Google can leverage to attract an audience that would help Google Docs reach the tipping point.
Going back to the feedback. There are a few things that from my point of view need improvement for this product to be useful to folks that are interested in mobility and easy remote collaboration.
Here is a cleaned up version of what I see as the main issues with spreadsheets.
1. Invitation Process:
The invitation process is horrible.
It says: You can use “any” email address. So I did. I invited 14 people across the world to collaborate in this spreadsheet. All of them with different email addresses.
Every time that someone clicked on the invitation link, it gave the invitees an error. There is a workaround that involves cleaning cookies and cache but that is not mainstream. People that use Excel all they long don’t want to worry about these issues.
When you are touting Google Spreadsheets as a way to collaborate with “any” email address, this shouldn’t happen. Folks fall in love with Google spreadsheets at the begining because they have not seen anything like it before and problems like the invite process make the appeal completely dissapear.
2. Security in Google Spreadsheets
SECURITY. It is TOO easy to “Publish to the world” by accident. Editors should not be allowed to share the document by default. Security and privacy should be the default if you ever want to get into the enterprise. Users still do not trust Google spreadsheets because the feeling of security is not there. It feels like the spreadsheet is open to the world.
3. Change Alerts in Google Spreadsheets:Â
It is not helpful to get an email saying “This person changed something in the spreadsheet”. The alert should say: This person changed this in the spreadsheet and here is what they changed: 1, 2, 3.”
4. User access management:
The user access management is a cumbersome process when you go beyond 4 people. I want to be able to see who has access and be able to highlight a user and delete it if I want to.
The users should have more levels of access. “Can edit”, “Can view” and “none” are limiting because there are rules that are attached to “Can edit” such as “Editors can invite more people” by default.
Â
The main value of Google Spreadsheets:
Mobility, remote connectivity and ease of use. Keep it simple, reliable, fast and secure by default not by choice.
LikeRelated posts:
