The problem isn't that the software to replace Excel and Access isn't out there. In fact, Alpha Five does a damn good job at it. I started doing market research for exactly this idea, and saw dozens of people who are trying to approach this market in slightly different ways.
Unfortunately, I'm away from my notes, but my latest thought was this:
1. Able to import basic excel data, even if an MVP can't deal with VBA. Support the basic types of Excel, and be able to interact with the data in a spreadsheet sort of way. (Much like Access.)
2. Don't make IT afraid of this app. Imagine the technical support requirements as people lose data, do something weird. It's a burden to IT. So, it has to be dead-easy to use (Read: like Excel) with incredible documentation (video, audio, tutorials, dead-tree), and has to give buy-in to IT that it will make their lives easier, not harder. Judging by my experience working in shops with small IT, this is really hard.
Or, it has to be for very-small businesses without a major IT presence. Then, it has to be cheap, because they already have excel. This looks to be the biggest barrier! You have to convince the client they have a problem. To me, this looks like the wrong market, though the one I started to look at first.
It's a sexy market. I'd still love in on it, and the people who finally figure it out will be a billion dollar business. However, more people than you know have tried it. It's a deceptively hard problem and I've been thinking about it off and on for over a year now.
I'm starting to think it should look a little different. Take care of an enterprise app framework for small businesses that takes care of single sign on with easy LDAP/AD integration, connections to multiple database, connections to legacy apps (simple links with option for single sign-on integration, with options for new windows or frames) and THEN have an Excel/Wufoo-crossbreed add-on for creating small applications. This would have IT buy-in, as they could use it themselves for small things, it would have built in transparent security, and they would be able to delegate to power users who could define the problem and would be able to work with IT for solutions.
This would be a big app. I haven't found the MVP to extract, save for the framework itself. I'm looking for partners on this idea currently.
Unfortunately, I'm away from my notes, but my latest thought was this:
1. Able to import basic excel data, even if an MVP can't deal with VBA. Support the basic types of Excel, and be able to interact with the data in a spreadsheet sort of way. (Much like Access.)
2. Don't make IT afraid of this app. Imagine the technical support requirements as people lose data, do something weird. It's a burden to IT. So, it has to be dead-easy to use (Read: like Excel) with incredible documentation (video, audio, tutorials, dead-tree), and has to give buy-in to IT that it will make their lives easier, not harder. Judging by my experience working in shops with small IT, this is really hard.
Or, it has to be for very-small businesses without a major IT presence. Then, it has to be cheap, because they already have excel. This looks to be the biggest barrier! You have to convince the client they have a problem. To me, this looks like the wrong market, though the one I started to look at first.
It's a sexy market. I'd still love in on it, and the people who finally figure it out will be a billion dollar business. However, more people than you know have tried it. It's a deceptively hard problem and I've been thinking about it off and on for over a year now.
I'm starting to think it should look a little different. Take care of an enterprise app framework for small businesses that takes care of single sign on with easy LDAP/AD integration, connections to multiple database, connections to legacy apps (simple links with option for single sign-on integration, with options for new windows or frames) and THEN have an Excel/Wufoo-crossbreed add-on for creating small applications. This would have IT buy-in, as they could use it themselves for small things, it would have built in transparent security, and they would be able to delegate to power users who could define the problem and would be able to work with IT for solutions.
This would be a big app. I haven't found the MVP to extract, save for the framework itself. I'm looking for partners on this idea currently.