Making Data Management Easy with Transpose
One problem with data collection is that we all want capture to be quick and we all want data to be organized -- but there's seldom a utility that allows both. Evernote allows note-taking but it can lose its structure...and no one wants to work with a database or spreadsheet to ensure data is structured and easy to find. I recently spoke with the creators of Transpose, an awesome app for loosely organizing information without any hassle!
Data collection isn't fun but it's essential. The easier you make it on yourself and others, the less of a burden it will feel like. The way you can make data collection easy is via templates.
Creating the System You Need: Templates
Data collection at Transpose is done via a template or series of templates. You can create your own templates via their form builder, customizing the form to your needs, and then save the template for later use, to build off of or simply use for data entry. If your use case is common, like receiving contacts, recipes, or feedback, you can choose from Transpose's massive template collection. Collections include education, at home, teams, small business, and more.
I've touched on how you can create your own templates, but if you walk away from this post with one point in mind, it's that Transpose allows you to create the system for your needs. Creation of templates and management of data can all be done using drag and drop widgetry. You can even set validation rules to meet the requirements of your data.
Transpose isn't a database, a spreadsheet, or a note app -- it's a free-flowing, easy to use combination of all of them, allowing for customizable input methods and a great user experience.
"As a computer scientist and an engineer I love technology and its power of enabling people. Technology should be powerful yet reachable and intuitive. My goal as the CTO of Transpose is to utilize my knowledge in Data Mining, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing to build great software that empowers everyone using it to tackle problems and manage their job and everyday life."
- Samah Gad, CTO
Search
Once your templates are created and you've entered data into transpose, you'll obviously need to manage and search that data at some point. The search interface is simple but allows for advanced filtering, as you'd expect. The search interface is also automated by Transpose to match your templates, so the search interface is generated for you!
The key point in all of the templating, data entry, and search, is that it's not a frustrating experience -- you don't feel like you're working in a database. The experience is enjoyable: simple and to the point.
Collaboration
Since you want your data available everywhere, and you may want to share or send it to others for their system, Transpose provides the following features:
- Export to CSV and Excel
- Share/export to Google Docs
- Share/export to Evernote
- Share publicly via social networking
- Share with other Transpose users, providing read/write/admin privileges
More Neat Features
Transpose has some cool features you don't traditionally see:
- Shareable forms - you can make a Transpose form available for anyone to fill out, like a contact form
- Voice note interpretation - Transpose provides voice note capabilities -- whoa
- User profile auto-fill - user profile social links are auto-populated
Nerdery
Since we're all nerds and want to know what's under the hood, the back end for Transpose is Python/django-based. The front end is a one-page, Angular-based system. The design is super minimal and they went above and beyond to avoid stacked modals -- a feat not often seen in many form creation/management systems. As I told them when we spoke, the interface of Transpose is top, top class -- very minimal but nicely wrapped! Lastly, an iPhone app is one the way!
Closing
Transpose's aim to make data collection structured but easy has been achieved. I'm not one who likes spending time entering data but I've used Transpose for my personal testing over the past week and it's enjoyable. The availability of pre-existing templates is awesome, since I don't want to create my own forms for basic purposes, and then searching for records is fast and dead on.
Give Transpose a try -- it's still in beta and it's execution is better than I had anticipated. Be sure to shoot them some feedback too -- they really do care about providing a solid service.
