Getting Past the "Start from Scratch" Phase

In March 2019, Quickbase released the interactive Visual Builder, a building experience that uses a drag-and-drop interface to create tables, fields, and relationships from one screen. We are excited to share with you the results from a survey that we conducted and use these findings to illustrate for you the value of this feature.

When building this feature, we expected the new experience to be more intuitive and approachable, especially for new builders. In preparation for the launch, we conducted a survey to see if we were right. Throughout all the responses, we found that there was consistently excitement around the elements of the Visual Builder that we had identified as game-changers.

The results of this survey not only supported our predictions for this feature but also helped reinforce the direction Quickbase as a platform is pointed in and the value we deliver to our customers.

Nurturing All Builders

For years we have heard from our customers that when creating a new application, the blank home page of a brand-new application can be intimidating. Because of this, Quickbase has always prioritized the practice of “nurturing” builders through the process of creating an app from scratch. Historically, we have invested in several great resources such as University and the Heroes program, but, with the Visual Builder, we wanted to provide an in-application experience that is less daunting.

One survey respondent mentioned that the Visual Builder helped, “get past the ‘Starting from Scratch’ phase.” The new experience categorizes and lays out the building blocks of those fundamental first steps of application creation, making it a more nurturing process. The Visual Builder presents a clear, intuitive interface for creating tables, fields and relationships, walking builders through those initial steps needed to transform an idea into an application.

Calling All Visual Thinkers

A Quickbase best practice is to have your applications modeled before you build. This encourages a thorough process mapping, ironing out any potential kinks proactively rather than needing to constantly amend during the build process. The Visual Builder is this process, in Quickbase.

This “helps with people who are visual thinkers and learners,” as noted by one survey respondent. For those who think in terms of diagrams, maps, or pictures, this experience allows them to work in a way that is familiar and logical to them, as they see an overview of the dynamics at play while they build.

What Makes Quickbase, Quickbase

As we continue to roll out more product updates and features, we are conscious of what exactly makes the Quickbase platform valuable to our customers. One survey respondent commented on the new building experience as “what makes Quickbase so much better than cobbling together a bunch of Google docs.”

These results reaffirm our motivation to deliver a balance of simplicity, power, and usability. With this in mind, there will be several more phases of the Visual Builder rolled out to increase the functionality while maintaining the streamlined, usable interface. Our focus on customer empathy is what anchors Quickbase in the pursuit of value while driving consistent innovation.

See for Yourself

If you want to see for yourself what one survey respondent called, “app building on steroids,” we encourage you to check it out.