This blog is a review on a particular Web 2.0 technology called Google Docs, a web-based application that allows you to edit and store Word documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations online and share with other users. This blog will explore an overview of Web 2.0 and describe what Google Docs is in more detail, followed by providing an understanding of how it works as an online application and an evaluation of both positive and negative aspects of this technology from both professional reviewers and myself who have reviewed this software.
According to the Web 2.0 how-to design guide, Web 2.0 is a current school of web page design that has fuelled both a technological and aesthetic approach to web design. It is a term used to described a revival in web simplicity, ‘a new level of technological interactivity between web sites and services’ or being related to new social networking sites. Key features are simplicity, central layout and large areas of solid colours, along with graphic buttons and simple navigation. Often used with some e-mail sites, blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Google Docs, the Apple Website and any other site that has more elaborate designs, buttons, flash technology or interactivity. This blog is in fact, an example of Web 2.0 technology.
Google Docs is an example of Web 2.0 technology that offers an online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software (based on Microsoft PowerPoint). In addition, there is also a PDF viewer. It offers high levels of interactivity, particularly with its menu bars, toolbars and keyboard shortcuts that behave like the interface of most programs installed on a computer.
Use of menu bar and toolbar (common in a program’s user interface but innovative for a web application)
Menu bar in action
Use of dialogue boxes that are part of the page design (not just one generated by the operating system or web browser)
Right-click context menus behave the same way as an actual program (not just a standard browser menu)
The viewer can upload documents in the various Microsoft Office formats and store them online. Documents can be edited online and then e-mails can be sent with a link, inviting others to edit the document (as an alternative to attaching a document to an e-mail). This avoids the need to send e-mails back and forward, avoiding the creation of multiple versions of the same document. Documents can also be published, so they can be viewed online and there is also the ability to create online forms and have the information automatically compiled to a spreadsheet, something that cannot be done in Microsoft Excel.
Google Docs form creation interface (part of spreadsheet program)
Another major feature is integration to Gmail and other parts of the Google website. Word documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint attachments can be opened in Google Docs (as an alternative to downloading the document to the computer then opening it in Microsoft Office). This is also handy if the user edits documents on multiple computers or don’t have Microsoft Office installed, as all the user needs is a computer connected to the internet and a free Google Docs account. PDF files can also be uploaded and viewed in the PDF viewer, rather than starting up your computer’s PDF reader (typically Adobe Reader) or having to spend a few minutes downloading the software if you don’t have it installed. Documents can also be downloaded to a computer’s hard drive or external storage device in various file formats, including PDF (which Microsoft Office won’t let you do unless you have a plug-in that allows you to convert your documents).
Gmail also has some ‘Google Labs’ features (these are features that add certain gadgets to Gmail) that enable the conversion of e-mail body text into a Google Docs file and quick links in a sidebar to some Google Docs files.
To find out more about how Google Docs works, view the YouTube video displayed below.
Google Docs is an entirely-web based application, allowing the user to access it from any computer with an internet connection without requiring them to install software on their computer or store files on their own computer (or an external storage device). As a web format, documents that are uploaded are actually converted into html format, and remain in that format until the user chooses to download it to their own computer.
Though on the surface, it appears to be an online version of Microsoft Office, it is a program that does not support the common features due to its limitations with HTML. Basically, whilst the online nature application is handy for sharing documents online and the ability to format a document using either HTML code or CSS, it lacks some basic features that Microsoft Office (and other word processors) offer in terms of page breaks and other advanced layout features. Upon closer inspection (especially of the ‘word processor’ application), it is really a web-editing program with limited fonts available and only the formatting options that are easily available on HTML pages.
There are many features that I believe Google Docs have done well with:
A user interface that is similar to an actual word processor.
The ability to store your documents online and view them with a free word processor (not necessary to have Microsoft Office installed).
It’s ability to allow many people to edit one document.
It’s close integration to other Google products, including Gmail.
A powerful file manager that enables the user to organise their documents in the same way they would on a file management program provided by the computer’s operating system (e.g. Windows Explorer for PCs or Finder for Mac).
Google Docs File Browser
The user can easily sort documents in categories and even place stars on them (like you do in an e-mail inbox)
Its ability to export files into various formats (especially PDF and html, though the html file actually doesn’t look very professional).
If opening e-mail attachments (from Gmail), it is faster to open them in Google Docs than trying to download the attachment and go through the process of opening Adobe Reader or Microsoft Office to view them.
Can insert multimedia content (such as YouTube videos). Cannot do this in Microsoft Office.
Includes a language translator and links to an online dictionary.
Can also highlight a word and easily do a Google search (on the web) with that word.
Google Search in action
Google includes its powerful search engine in both the file management page and in the help centre. It even auto completes your search after typing in the first couple of letters of a file name (screenshot above).
Reviewing changes in a document
Revision History showing a list of versions of a particular document
Saving documents:
Documents being auto saved in case a technical failure occurs.
Being able to review and even compare changes between past versions of a document (in Microsoft Word, you have to manually save if you’d like different versions of the one document; and the compare feature works well in much the same way that ‘Track Changes’ operates in Microsoft Word).
Deleted documents are stored in a trash can, enabling the user to recover documents if they are accidentally deleted.
Depending on the web browser and if Google Gears (an offline technology that allows people to use some Google services offline) is installed on the computer, users can work on their documents even when they are not connected to the internet. Changes are then synchronised with the web server once the computer is online.
Provides a print preview as a PDF file.
Negative aspects
Some areas of the technology that could be improved upon:
It is a slimmed down version of what Microsoft offer in their Office suite. It really only has partial Microsoft Office compatibility, which is fine for basic documents but documents with more complex formatting are better done in Microsoft Office (as it offers more features). This is also based on my experience on trying alternative Office suites to the Microsoft software, but in the end needing to be fully compatible with most computer users (who use Microsoft Office).
Though the file browser is good, I find it an adjustment to get use to compared to Finder on my Mac.
Though Google Docs does have its benefits in not having to transfer files from one computer to the other and is helpful if you forget a USB stick. Some people would prefer to store their documents on their hard-drive rather than on the internet (especially those with limited internet access or those who fear the security of Google storing their documents for them).
The presentation software doesn’t support transitions, sound or animation, which presentation software similar to PowerPoint should have.
File size limit to both the size of individual documents and the storage space the user is allowed to have on Google Docs (though ‘power users’ can also pay a subscription to gain more storage).
If the user imports a Microsoft Office document with headers, footers or footnotes into Google Docs, they may either display poorly or not at all. If they create those items in Google Docs, they display well in a PDF but not in the document editor or when exported into Microsoft Word.
Upon clicking the Spell Checker tool, it highlights the spelling mistakes in yellow for you. It took me a while to discover that you had to click on each individual word before it would bring up options of alternative spellings. Microsoft Office uses a dialogue box (as well as being able to right-click misspelled words).
Not really a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of program, especially with the HTML formatting involved.
On Chris Pirillo’s video on YouTube, he was explaining how he could view his Google Docs on the go via a mobile device (as seen below).
Andrew Spittle, student blogger at Whitman College says that Google Docs allows him to take notes, even when he’s away from his own computer (Review on Google Docs Tour).
Jorge Lepervanche, MBA 2009 candidate, Hult International Business School admires how he can share spreadsheets with fellow students and the group can help plan schedules by editing the one spreadsheet (Review on Google Docs Tour).
Lesley Cutts, Marketing Manager of Goodness Direct says Google Docs enables many people to help proofread a particular document at the one time (Review on Google Docs Tour).
A young couple not yet living together use Google Docs to help plan meals. The technology enables both of them to contribute to the menu (Review on Google Docs Tour).
The auto save feature along with the Revisions feature is helpful in case an internet connection is lost or the user would like the previous version of a document (the Noc).
Negative Aspects
May be slow on some internet connections (ZD review).
Does not contain enough features to be able to replace an office suite (such as Microsoft Office) (ZD review).
A ZD review raises concerns about whether people would trust Google to handle their private data.
Limited compatibility with Microsoft Office. A ZD reviewer noticed that graphs were lost from exported spreadsheets (originally created in Excel) and Word documents lose formatting.
ZD review said that while Google Docs is ‘excellent’ as a free online application, it ‘…still doesn’t contain enough functionality to be a replacement for today’s mainstay office suites in most businesses, despite some interesting features’.
The sharing system ‘breaks down’ if the user refuses to use Google Docs. Though it is easy to use, some people would prefer to save the document to the hard drive and work on it within a familiar application such as Microsoft Office (the Noc).
Users have no idea where page breaks are, whereas Word by default shows each page of the document separately. Makes it difficult to create multi-page documents (the Noc).
Lack of header and footer functionality, besides manually editing HTML code (the Noc).
Can only use web fonts (the Noc).
No print preview in spreadsheet. The only way you can do this is creating a PDF, then having to manually open and view that (the Noc).
Risk of someone hacking into your Google Docs account and deleting your files. Google offers no data recovery (the Noc).
‘Gmail’. Web-based e-mail site. Last updated 2009. Available: http://mail.google.com. Date accessed: 30/8/09
‘Google Docs’. Online word processing application. Last updated 2009. Available: http://docs.google.com. Date accessed: 30/8/09
‘Google Docs Help Centre’. Help pages for online word processing application. Last updated 2009. Available: http://docs.google.com/support/?hl=en. Date accessed: 26/8/09
YouTube video clip – ‘Get Documents and Spreadsheets on the Go with Google’. Web video explaining the use of Google Docs on a mobile device. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNpXS6MDxiU. Date accessed: 1/9/09
YouTube video clip – ‘Introduction to Google Docs’. Web video explaining how Google Docs works. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyjY8ZLzZrw. Date accessed: 1/9/09
Google Docs - A worthwhile alternative to Microsoft Office? 