Hey, I’ve got an idea for an app…
How often have you heard this?
As a developer/geek, I wish I’d collected a dollar every time someone said to me “Hey, I’ve got this really cool idea for an app”. The defacto response tends to go something like, “There’s probably something out there already; even if there isn’t, it’s probably going to take too much effort”.
When Buzzy was first created, we were looking at solving what we thought was a different problem: being able to combine info, conversation, transactions and processes into one cohesive thing and make it easier to interact online. We called it a “Buzz”, but really it’s an app.
As we started to build out the different types of Buzzes (staff schedules, store reports, sports team communication, event coordination etc), we noticed the easy bits to handle were the information and interactions that fitted into well-defined patterns: content, conversations, transactions. However, the really important bits always seemed to be custom: the forms, processes and workflows.
So we started to build a really simple form/workflow builder. We called it a “microapp” and it could be cobbled together by almost anyone in three simple steps:
- Start with a template (if you’re a geek, it can be a blank template)
- Tweak it — add or remove fields, create workflows, decide when and whom to notify etc.
- Use it — it’s instantly live. You get feedback from users, can change it in an instant — and again it’s immediately deployed to all users.
These microapps are the core of a Buzz. Sometime there’s just one, sometimes several that work together with conversations, static info and transactions to make a really powerful app.
We then went a step further and made it super easy to make these microapps intelligent: for example, a hands-free form you could talk to, instead of typing/clicking; automatic interpretation of form results via personality insights; or the ability to include an intelligent custom bot with a couple of clicks.
So Buzzy has evolved. The problem we are now addressing is not simply about bringing different strands and threads of information and conversation into one place, it’s gone further: we want to enable anyone to create an intelligent app, in minutes.
For more videos and demos, check our Youtube channel
Interested in having a play? Sign up for free and get creative— we’d love to hear what you do with it.
