Spreadsheets: from data interfaces to knowledge interfaces

Documents of type “spreadsheet” are considered user interfaces to numeric data as they allow authors to create, modify and display these data in distinct layouts like tables or diagrams and readers to interpret them. We tend to believe that enhancing software semantically means that we are lifting its value. In particular, if we enhance spreadsheets semantically can we lift their data interface status to a knowledge interface status? We used the repertory grid methodology to conduct a study on the difference between spreadsheets and spreadsheets semantically enhanced with the SACHS extension. Our research shows that, indeed, from the perspective of users adding semantics turns spreadsheets into knowledge interfaces.