The spreadsheet works. Getting everyone else to use it is the problem. A wall of cells is a lot to hand someone who just wants to mark a job finished.
Google's Sheets canvas builds a small interactive interface over the data you already have. You describe the layout you want, and Gemini generates it. Changes can flow between that interface and the underlying sheet. Google announced the feature on August 13 and included it in its September 9 AI-plan roundup.
Think of a creator managing sponsored videos. As a hypothetical test, they could ask for a board that groups each video by production stage, with a button to mark it ready for review. The original sheet would still hold the records. That's a much smaller project than building an entire business app, and it gives the creator a clear way to tell whether the result works.
A friendly screen can still hide a bad assumption. On a copy of the sheet, change one record through the new interface and check which cells moved. Try a blank value and an overdue item. Someone who didn't build it should be able to finish the task without a tutorial.
Access is a real limit: Google's September roundup lists Sheets canvas for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, not every free account.
For someone who already has access, a small shared chore is a sensible first experiment. The opportunity is making useful tools without commissioning a custom app. Knowing what the tool must get right remains your job.