Zelword Business and Tech Analysis

Gadgets and Widgets and Your Customers

I created my first Google Gadget today. Nothing too complicated but it gives you access to your Zoho Creator applications through a gadget that can be used on a web page, your iGoogle start page , or your desktop via Google Desktop.

If you haven’t spent much time with Google Gadgets and Yahoo! Widgets, it’s time to start. These types of tools do 2 things for me, you, and your customers:

1. Granular Features: Instead of a full blown application, many of these gadgets are small applications that do something very specific. Instead of using 20% of the software, you’re likely to use 100% of the gadget.
2. Personal Delivery: One great benefit of gadgets/widgets is the ability to incorporate them easily with the tools you already use. You can build a start page with the tools you use (mine has my e-mail, remember the Milk tasks, my Grand Central voicemail, and my Zoho application). If I prefered, I could just as easily have each of these running on my desktop.

Companies need to start thinking about how they can deliver specific features in this manner. If Quickbooks could let me see my AP/AR information or my budget, I’d never have to open the full application. What would your customers like to see?

Author: Michael Johnstone

Business Analyst and entrepreneur