No-code prototyping with Google Sheets – Impossible? Not to us!

The life of every software product starts with a prototype. The reason is apparent – you need to make sure that your vision is viable and worth further investment. No one wants to waste money on a ready-made digital product that doesn’t serve its purpose or cannot achieve a large user base.

Prototyping, like any other stage in digital product development, takes time and effort. At Boldare, we wanted to streamline this stage of our work without compromising the quality of the outcome. And that’s how we got into no-code prototyping. One of the tools we’re using for this purpose is Google Sheets.

What is no-code?

The no-code development paradigm (sometimes referred to as RAD – rapid app development) enables us to create new software without the use of any of the coding languages. There are multiple platforms and tools working this way, including startups like Bubble or Glide but also enterprise solutions from major players like Google AppSheet or Microsoft PowerApps.

Low-code is a related approach; it works similarly to no-code, only here, you may need to know at least the basics of coding, as some advanced features might require code in order to be implemented.

No-code and low-code tools usually come with a straightforward interface and use the drag-and-drop feature to make work faster and more efficient. Users get access to ready-made software components to create a functional application.

This solution is by no means perfect. Since everything is based on the use of ready-made “code blocks”, meaning the possibilities of what can be done are limited to what is offered within a given platform. What is more, the options for modifying or improving an application already created in this way also tend to be limited.

And lastly, there’s the question of security – you have to rely on security measures provided by the platform, leaving you vulnerable to their mistakes and omissions. So, at least for now, there’s no risk that no-code will replace human developers.

All this doesn’t mean that this technology should be neglected or discarded. Our experience shows that no-code works brilliantly when prototyping new digital products.

Check here why low-code/no code development services are the right choice for your business & your product.

No-code prototyping

The main goal of the prototyping stage is to minimize the risk of your product’s market failure. At this point, you have an idea that needs to be tested, but you don’t want to invest too much money into it without making sure that there is a positive ROI around the corner.

For the prototyping stage to be effective, it needs to be quick and cheap. And no-code prototyping (or low-code prototyping) checks both these boxes. When adopting this approach, you can quickly develop a prototype of your future app.

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The no-code revolution is here. How can you develop digital products without writing code?

Google Sheets for back-end prototyping

Recently, our developers explored the potential use of Google Sheets as a no-code solution for back-end purposes. With Google Sheets’ basic formulas, this solution can be successfully used as a database for a prototype.

Google Sheets’ formulas can work on entire ranges of data, not just single values. Just like programming languages, Google Sheets offers a range of array functions like ‘MAP’ or ‘REDUCE’. This allows our team to build a database-like structure capable of powering simple prototypes.

What does it mean in practice? Anything that can be done in a database can be done in Google Sheets:

• You can build complex relationships between many different tables and extract data from them.
• Using ‘MAP’ and ‘VLOOKUP’ functions, you can combine data from multiple tables, like in an SQL ‘JOIN’
• Using named functions, you can create your own formula macros and features specific to your use case.
• Using the ‘IMPORTRANGE’ function, you can share data between multiple spreadsheets.

You might be also interested in the article:

Our Top 3 Prototyping Tools

Other Google solutions for no-code prototyping

The Google ecosystem also offers two other tools that are extremely helpful when it comes to the prototyping stage: Google AppSheet and Google Apps Script. Here’s what each of these tools offers.

Google AppSheet

This is a no-code platform that enables you to create applications using the data you already have (AppSheet integrates with cloud storage providers, such as Google Drive, Smartsheet, Dropbox, Salesforce, etc.) and specify the desired outcome. Google AppSheet uses machine learning to ensure apps developed with this platform are more tailored to the developer’s expectations. This platform is designed to guide users through every step necessary to create a new digital product:

1. First, you need to specify the data source (AppSheet offers several options to choose from). It’s also possible to start with just an idea or a sample app.
2. Next, you select the type of application you want to develop (there are many market sectors to choose from).
3. Once you select the specific data source, Google will use its machine learning engine to analyze your data and provide you with an initial vision for your future app.

This makes Google AppSheet a suitable tool for working with data. AppSheet is still based on spreadsheets, so you need to remember about the limitations of this solution. However, there are ways of making a spreadsheet behave like a database.

Google Apps Script

This is an add-on allowing you to run any code in Javascript or React. This means the entire Google Sheet can be treated as the backend of the application. It can be used to set APIs with feature flags that can quickly be presented to the client so that they can see the future structure of the product in question.

Wrapping up: is Google Sheets a viable prototyping tool?

The ability to present a first version of the final product without significant investment of money or time is attractive both to our clients and our team. Using Google Sheets (or any other Google product) is just one way to do it. And while no-code solutions will likely not replace human developers, it can support them in their everyday work, especially in the initial stages of a project.