No Code Archives - Digitwell Solutions https://digitwell.co.uk/category/no-code/ Turning ideas into great mobile apps Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:32:15 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://digitwell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-digitwell-solutions-logo-1-32x32.png No Code Archives - Digitwell Solutions https://digitwell.co.uk/category/no-code/ 32 32 Are you still using a spreadsheet to run your business? https://digitwell.co.uk/are-you-still-using-a-spreadsheet-to-run-your-business/ Fri, 25 Sep 2020 12:18:04 +0000 https://digitwell.co.uk/?p=2279 Spreadsheets are great. I use them all the time; Collecting data, Cash Flow Forecasts, Combining research. So why the title of this post? The problem is, I use spreadsheets way too much. They are like Pringles, once you start, you can’t stop. Spreadsheets have a way of becoming monsters. I keep adding to them over […]

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Spreadsheets are great. I use them all the time; Collecting data, Cash Flow Forecasts, Combining research.

So why the title of this post?

The problem is, I use spreadsheets way too much. They are like Pringles, once you start, you can’t stop.

Spreadsheets have a way of becoming monsters. I keep adding to them over time until the original simple purpose is purpose is lost behind a wall of additional complexity.
And worse still when I come back to one of these spreadsheets after a period of time I realise I have forgotten how it works!
Let's talk about spreadsheet alternatives

Top 3 Spreadsheet Problems

1. Errors are easy to make and hard to find

According to MarketWatch, 88% of spreadsheets contain errors. Some of these error can have HUGE impacts
  • JP Morgan lost $6Bn due to a cut ans Paste error
  • The London Olympics over sold an event by 10,000 seats due to a person entering a 2 instead of a 1.
  •  Barclays bought 179 more contracts then they intended to due to a formatting error. The cost was undisclosed.
  • Cut and Paste error caused £16m remedial work on a £150m childrens hospital in Scotland

2. Impossible to protect your IP

Some spreadsheets allow you to protect cells, worksheets and/or hide columns. You can event set a password.

And you may think that this will protect your hard earned Intellectual property when you send a spreadsheet out to a customer.

Unfortunately it will not. A quick Google search will bring up several ways to get around these “protections”. My favorite is just uploading the spreadsheet to Google Sheets

3. Versioning is a nightmare

Each time I save a spreadsheet I add a version number to the filename. But what are the differences between them? I can’t remember.

If I send one the latest sheet to my colleague and they send it back, which one now contains the latest information?

Some of these problems can be solved by using something like Sharepoint or Google Drive to hold the spreadsheet, but understanding what has changed is still a problem.

 

What is the alternative?

Depending on what you are doing there are a wide range of options. For most it is also possible to find either Open Source or an intial Free tier

  • Storing Customer contact data? – Look at a using a CRM e.g. Hubspot has a free tier
  • Creating invoices and storing financial data? – Look at a simple bookkeeping system e.g. Wave
  • Capturing Customer data? Take a look at a Form Builder tool. e.g. JotForm
  • Something a bit more complicated. Try NoCode@Digitwell

Is NoCode a solution?

The advantage of using a spreadsheet is that it tends to be quick, as you already know how to use the spreadsheet, and usually you don’t need to spend any money up front.

In many cases this is more than outweighed by the longer term problems.

If you would like to talk through how you can migrate from a spreadsheet to something more robust, you can contact me.

 

Let's talk about spreadsheet alternatives

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]]> Do it Yourself? – No Code Revolution https://digitwell.co.uk/do-it-yourself-no-code-revolution/ https://digitwell.co.uk/do-it-yourself-no-code-revolution/#respond Tue, 25 Aug 2020 11:06:25 +0000 https://digitwell.co.uk/?p=1968 What is no code? How can it help you develop your app idea

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Every Business needs an app

Not a very surprising statement from an app development company, but the evidence from the market place shows that this is true. This article in Entrepreneur from 2018 puts it much better than I can. Does your business need a mobile app?

If you’re a small-business owner ..., it may well be time to build a dedicated mobile app for your business. But simply building an app is not enough. Focus on delivering tangible benefits to your customers, and the hard work you put into building your app will pay off, time and time again.

Tim Smale, Entrepreneur online magazine

But I'm not a Tech Geek

Developing a high quality native app for both Android and iOS used to require a professional coder (or team).

Over the past few years a new set of tools have appeared which will allow the novice to produce high quality apps that serve real business purposes or will allow you to get your entrepreneurial concept off the ground without a full blown technical team.

What is No Code?

No Code is aimed at Citizen Developers. Instead of using a language such as Python or Java to write a list of instructions, you build the app by selecting from a range of components and linking them together, usually using a graphical tool of some sort. All of the complexity is hidden; issues around storage, scalability, security is handled in the background. Changes to the UI, the look and feel, can be made to personalise the finished product but only in the ways proscribed by the service and the components.

No-Code solutions are very varied, WordPress, which this website has been developed in, is considered to be a No-code solution – you can build quite complicated websites by just adding and configuring various plugins.

Low Code as its name suggests does not remove the need for writing computer code, but it is much reduced. They usually provide a graphical tool which operates in the same way as a no-code environment., but they then provide you with the ability to add/modify behaviour through additional scripts. Some even allow you to develop new components to add functionality which is not available out of the box.

Gartner defines a  citizen developer as:
“a user who creates new business applications for consumption by others using development and runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT. In the past, end-user application development has typically been limited to single-user or workgroup solutions built with tools like Microsoft Excel and Access. However, today, end users can build departmental, enterprise and even public applications using shared services, fourth-generation language (4GL)-style development platforms and cloud computing services.”


How do I get started?

There are over 200 tools different tools to choose from. Each of which has its own advantages and capabilities. The best choice depends on the type of app you want to develop.

I’ve put together a series of webinars that will take you through the process from laying out your idea toyour own app in the store.

I look forward to seeing you.

Booking Information

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