How our anti-spreadsheet team ended up creating a spreadsheet-based solution and why it was exactly the right move.
by Huw Tyler
At Dragon Drop, we specialize in rescuing businesses that have outgrown their spreadsheets. But sometimes, the unexpected happens. In this case study, discover how our anti-spreadsheet team ended up creating a spreadsheet-based solution for a major client—and why it was exactly the right move. Our team creates bespoke internal tools that allow companies to focus on what they do best, rather than wrestling with outdated systems that no longer serve their needs.
The Evolution Problem
Many businesses start with spreadsheets for a simple reason—they’re the right tool at the right time. A small inventory, a manageable customer list, or basic financial tracking all work well in Excel or Google Sheets. But as companies grow, so do their data needs. Spreadsheets become unwieldy beasts: slow, error-prone, and increasingly difficult to maintain.
This evolution problem isn’t new. In October 2020, Public Health England discovered this the hard way when nearly 16,000 COVID-19 cases went unreported due to an Excel limitation. Their system used the outdated XLS format (dating back to 1987), which could only handle about 65,000 rows of data. When new cases exceeded this limit, they simply disappeared from the record—with potentially life-threatening consequences.
As Cambridge University’s Professor Jon Crowcroft noted in the aftermath, “Excel was always meant for people mucking around with a bunch of data for their small company to see what it looked like. And then when you need to do something more serious, you build something bespoke that works.”
The Legacy Trap
This Excel disaster reminds us of another famous legacy story: the Space Shuttle’s booster rocket design.
The Space Shuttle’s solid rocket boosters were manufactured in Utah and transported by train to the launch site. Their maximum diameter was constrained by the width of railway tunnels they needed to pass through. That railway gauge (4 feet, 8.5 inches) traces back through British railways to wagon wheels, which were standardized to fit ancient Roman road ruts. Those ruts, in turn, were sized to accommodate two horses pulling a war chariot.
In essence, one of humanity’s most advanced vehicles was constrained by specifications set two thousand years earlier—specifically, by the width of a Roman horse’s backside that determined the original chariot dimensions.
Breaking the Pattern
At Dragon Drop, we’re generally anti-spreadsheet. We’ve seen too many businesses hamstrung by trying to force complex operations into rows and columns. That’s why we build custom solutions that grow with our clients, adapting to their changing needs rather than forcing them to adapt to software limitations.
But recently, we challenged our own assumptions.
The Unexpected Solution
One of our largest clients needed a way to review and change prices across their extensive product inventory. Our team followed our usual process—prototyping different dashboards, exploring various filter options, and testing editable fields with the end users in mind.
But something unexpected happened: nothing beat a spreadsheet.
After extensive user testing, we discovered that the accountants who would be using this tool had spent their careers mastering Excel. A bespoke dashboard, no matter how elegant our design, would force them to learn new patterns and workflows.
Coming Full Circle
Instead of fighting this reality, we embraced it. We built a system within their existing internal tool that could:
- Extract a beautifully formatted spreadsheet with their inventory data
- Allow users to work “offline” in their familiar Excel environment
- Provide a secure re-upload path to update prices in bulk
We designed carefully around Excel’s strengths—formulas, filters, and formatting—while protecting against its weaknesses by locking down cells that could cause conflicts during re-upload.
The solution worked brilliantly because it respected a fundamental truth: the preferred tool of our users was spreadsheets. They were accountants who had spent years developing expertise in Excel. As the saying goes, “When all you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Our users had hammers, so we gave them the right nails.
The Bespoke Difference
This project reinforced our core philosophy: bespoke works best when it gives the right user exactly the right tool in exactly the way they need it.
Sometimes that means building something entirely new. Sometimes it means creating a better bridge to existing tools. The key is understanding not just what users need to accomplish, but how they prefer to work.
Beyond the Spreadsheet
While this case ended with a spreadsheet solution, most of our clients have genuinely outgrown what Excel can offer. When data becomes too complex, when multiple users need simultaneous access, when automation needs to scale, or when errors become too costly—that’s when truly bespoke systems show their value.
Dragon Drop’s expertise lies in knowing the difference—and in building solutions that feel so natural to use that they become invisible, letting our clients focus on their business instead of their tools.
The Dragon Drop Difference
Dragon Drop is a specialist web and app development agency with extensive full-stack technical credentials and a strong focus on user experience. Our founding team brings over 40 years of web development and project experience, having managed or developed more than 100 significant ecommerce and web projects for major UK high street retailers, financial services companies, and government agencies.
What sets us apart is our unique perspective—we’ve stood in the shoes of retailers, software suppliers, and web agencies, giving us invaluable insight into creating truly innovative solutions. We don’t just build software—we craft experiences that make complex tasks simple and tedious processes enjoyable. From multinational corporations to growing startups, we deliver tools that adapt to your unique workflows rather than forcing standardized solutions.
Every project begins with understanding, continues with collaboration, and ends with a solution so perfectly tailored that users wonder how they ever managed without it. Whether you’ve outgrown your spreadsheets or need to enhance existing systems, Dragon Drop transforms business challenges into elegant solutions that evolve with your needs.
Ready to move beyond makeshift solutions? Let’s talk about what we can build together.
Who are Dragon Drop?
Dragon Drop is a specialist web and app development agency. The team has extensive full-stack technical credentials and a strong focus on user experience.
The Dragon Drop founding team have over 40 years of web development and project experience. They have managed or developed over 100 significant ecommerce and web projects during their careers, including implementations for major UK high street retailers, financial services companies and government agencies.
Their approach to innovative solutions stems from perspectives gained as retailer, software supplier and web agency.