RE: [office-formula] Include user interface?

["Bastian, Waldo" <waldo.bastian@intel.com>]

Not sure how useful this Chan/Storey paper is, some info that might be
relevant: Table 6 lists activities that people use spreadsheets for.
Table 11 rates the use of specific spreadsheet functionality.

Table 6 Most frequently performed analyses

Analysis		Respondents		Percentage
Asset valuation		3 		1.7
Financial reporting 	14		7.9
Cost/Benefit		11		6.2
Cash-Flow			3		1.7
Financial statements	13		7.3
Forecasting			22		12.4
Market			2		1.1
Variance			16		9.0
Pricing or profitability 26		14.6
Statistical			26 		14.6
Other				60		33.7

Table 11 Mean scores for spreadsheet functions
Function			Mean score
Database			2.79
Financial			2.83
Goal-seeking		2.04
Graphics			3.13
Import/Export		3.07
Linking			2.93
Macro language		3.21
Mathematical/Statistical 3.93
"What-if"			3.00

Waldo Bastian
Linux Client Architect - Channel Platform Solutions Group
Intel Corporation - http://www.intel.com/go/linux
OSDL DTL Tech Board Chairman

>-----Original Message-----
>From: David A. Wheeler [mailto:dwheeler@dwheeler.com]
>Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 4:24 PM
>To: office-formula@lists.oasis-open.org
>Subject: Re: [office-formula] Include user interface?
>
>Dan Bricklin wrote:
>> As I understand it, the vast majority (and I mean vast) of
>> spreadsheets use very little of this functionality. Some simple
>> arithmetic MAYBE plus the SUM function. References to cells
sometimes,
>> and much less frequently to cells on related sheets. Very few use
>> variables. Is this true? Do we have a real survey? I heard that Lotus
>> did one many years ago, is there anything new or at least access to
>> that data?
>I think you're referring to Chan and Storey 1996,
>"The use of spreadsheets in organizations: determinants and
>consequences," Information and Management
>**
><http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/els/03787206;jsessionid=4besncvm
jh4j
>1.victoria>Volume
>31, Number 3, December 1996, pp. 119-134(16). Publisher is Elsevier
>Science.
>It's not open access, so I don't know the details; can anyone get a
copy to
>can report on it? Some open access info:
>http://sprig.section.informs.org/sprigfiles/INFORMS05_09.ppt
>http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/spreadsheet/
>Alternatively, someone could try to download all spreadsheet files
>available
>on the web, and find out what functions and operators are in use.
>
>I believe it's correct that many users would be happy with an even
>a smaller set basic set. But I'd like to find the data so we can
>have a RATIONALE for picking some other set, if we're to create
>a smaller subset.
>
>--- David A. Wheeler