Last year saw many new people discovering statscloud for the first time, and the reception the app has recieved really has been astonishing. It seems academics are easily won over by its modern, touch-friendly interface, and it's 'tick-box free' approach to statistical analysis has been an instant hit with students. Now, more and more people all across the world are switching to statscloud for their teaching, and 2020 has certainly marked the beginning of a serious new player in statistics software.

As we move into a new year, we're more motviated than ever to continue developing statscloud and ensuring it is the go-to app for teaching statistics to students in higher education. In this blog, I want to give you a taste of what we're planning for this year, what we're hoping to achieve beyond that, and, above all, why now is the perfect time to settle in to start using statscloud as an introductory statistics tool longer-term.

More cloud

Up to this point, we haven't really used the cloud for much at all. You can import data stored in the cloud (e.g. from GitHub or another public URL) or a personal cloud drive (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) but that's about it. All the analyses are done inside your browser window so no data ever leaves your device or is sent to a server for analysis. Having this "offline mode" was a design choice made right from the start to ensure that statscloud remains fast, can function fully without an internet connection, and respects those working with sensitive data sets. These features make the app truly unique and, as a result, statscloud is the only statistics package available today that can run on any device offline.

Of course, none of that will change in the base version of statscloud; statscloud CORE. However, we intend to unlock more cloud features in our upcoming version; statscloud PRO, which will allow you to sign in with a user account and view a dashboard of your projects which you can access anywhere, on any device. Just like any other cloud-based service, everything you do can be saved in the cloud so you can close the app and return to it whenever you want, whenever you are, and on whatever device you have with you.

More code

Our goals page already maps out what analyses statscloud supports and what we're planning to add in the future. From the start, we've been careful to keep the number of analyses on offer to a manageable amount and make the app as streamlined as possible; we want to have the essential tools for undergraduate statistics modules but avoid overwhelming users with lots of modules that would make the app unwieldy. Having lots of advanced analyses would also distract users from learning how to use a programming language (such as R) which is an essential skill in data analysis. Instead, we want to encourage users to treat statscloud as a springboard to R, and we've done so by providing all the code you need to export your project and take everthing to the more advanced environment R offers whenever you're ready to.

We want to continue with this philosophy and help you use R when you need to. To achieve this, we're also working on tighter integration between statscloud and R that will ultimately allow you to run any R code directly on your statscloud project and switch between the two environments according to what you'd like to do. This is one of the most exciting developments we're working on so you can expect a separate blog post on that when it's ready!

R is a wonderful tool for statistics, but we're keen to support those who wish to work with other programming languages too; those that are more general purpose than R (e.g. Python) or, to be honest, just faster (e.g. Julia). You can therefore expect to see some additional tabs arriving in the 'Code' tabs later this year. Being able to see multiple code outputs side-by-side provides a unique opportunity for you to compare each language and see how they all differ. As with the R output, every line of code will be annotated in the new languages too so you can see exactly how each language works and choose to migrate to whichever one suits you best.

More peace of mind

All of this brings us to the long term future of statscloud. It's always been our intention to treat statscloud as a business and to offer two versions of the app; a free version that performs a range of analyses offline on data sets you have stored elsewhere, and a subscription version that keeps everything together for you in one place, stores all your data for you, and gives you access to them across multiple devices.

With touch devices gaining more popularity, it's more important than ever to offer a comprehensive statistics package that can run reliably on them and, because we can operate the CORE version with essentially no running costs, we'll always be able to offer this as a completely free service. If you'd like to benefit from the PRO version, the good news is that we'll be able to keep the subscripion costs for this competitive, particularly when compared to other statistics packages that rely more heavily on the cloud. Keep your eye on the 'Products' pages for more details on when the PRO version becomes available and exactly what features it will have.

We've been working hard over the years to make sure that statscloud is appropriate for use in education. Firstly, the app respects the privacy of users and any data they use. Our policy on data privacy is laid out clearly in our privacy policy but, for additional peace of mind, we will offer versions of statscloud that you can install locally on your institutions' premises so you are in full control of the app. Another essential criteria for using software in education is that it meets accessibility standards. This has been a priority for us right form the start and I'm pleased to say that statscloud meets ojective accessibility requirements (i.e. it is compatable with screen-readers and can be navigated with just a keyboard). Universities using the app have already deemed it suitable to recommend to students following the results of an accessibility audit, and we'll continue to monitor the app closely to ensure it continues to be fully accessible. More information on accessibility can be found in our accessibility statement.

More features

Overall, there's an awful lot to be excited by this year, and we're not stopping there. We have some big plans going forward and will continue to make minor improvements to the app as the year unfolds too. The interface has been one of the strongest features of statscloud and improvements this year will see it with a proper (toggle-able) dark mode, support for multiple languages, importing of more file types, a speedier user-interface, and quicker analyses too. We've also been busy recording video tutorials which will arrive on our YouTube channel throughout the year, and we're working on more docs to support the integrated help system too. This, along with all other features, will help cement statscloud as the modern statistics app of choice and the best tool by far to teach statistics to students.

If you want to make the switch to statscloud, a good place to get started is with our primers. There are also some useful resources on the education page. Otherwise, you can also stay up to date on all these updates by following us on our Twitter or Facebook pages.

We're looking forward to having you on board in 2021!

Dan