Google Docs Unveils Redesigned System

redesigned spreadsheet, document, and drawing editors; group chat functionality; and the ability to collaborate with real-time character-by-character mark-up

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The main impetus behind Google’s redesign is their stance that “collaboration is broken.” According to the company, many different individuals can make changes to one document, but a single “bad” save by one person can effectively ruin the entire document.

The revamped version of Google Docs includes a redesigned document editor, which now enables collaborators to see what others are typing, character by character, and allows as many as 50 people to collaborate on one document. The new chat feature, which appears on the lower-right hand corner of the screen, will now enable collaborators working on one item to discuss concerns in real time.

According to news releases, the revamped Google Docs may seem “more like a word processor like Microsoft Word,” which they say is no accident: the redesign deliberately added rulers, tab stops, floating images, and a spell check that works as you type.

The spreadsheets were also updated during the redesign of Google Docs. Updated features include auto-complete, faster load types, and the ability to drag-and-drop columns. The updated spreadsheets also allow the user to auto-fill items in a particular spreadsheet or throughout a set of spreadsheets.

The redesigned Google Docs now includes a drawing editor, which allows as many as 50 individuals to draw at the same time. Images can be drawn and downloaded, then copied and pasted into multiple Google Docs. These images can also be published and embedded to the web.

MDNG

, an intra-office handbook for your staff, a grant proposal, or even treatment guidelines.

Uses of Google Docs in medicine are numerous and include the ability to access documents on your office computer from any other computer with Internet access, say while at a conference or at home, without the need to send files via e-mail or save them to a flash/thumb/USB drive, and the ability to collaborate in real time with others on a document, say an article for the publication

The updated version of Google Docs can now be previewed online. To learn more about the new features, or to see a video about the redesigned features, click here.

How do you take advantage of Google Docs in a healthcare-specific manner? Post a comment below to get the word out to your colleagues.

Google has just completed a major overhaul of Google Docs that includes