Big Changes for Wordpress?
I know that a lot of Wordpress users either ignore or find a way to remove the bulletins that appear at the bottom of the main Wordpress admin screen. However, I try to make it a daily practice to read over them in the mornings to see what is happening in the Wordpress world.
As a result, I’ve seen more than one post that covers the upcoming Wordpress 2.7 changes, specifically having to do with the UI. I participated in both surveys, and today I reviewed the proposed UI wireframes.
I have to say I am a little bit leery about this. A large part of the reason I have stayed with Wordpress this long (I have tried several other blog apps before this one) is the current user interface. It’s clean, usable, and makes sense. It doesn’t try to be over complex, and is by far one of the easier interfaces to sit down with and actually write.
How much will a change like the ones being proposed alter that? Not really sure yet. Being a developer as well, I understand that wireframes are a sort of “living document” before it gets ultimately frozen. The changes proposed in the link above may change considerably over the next few weeks. With that in mind, I have tried to look at the changes from a wide angle rather than at specific, small areas.
The biggest change I have seen has to do with the introduction of a vertical left-hand navigation. I tend to look at interfaces differently, and a left hand nav will force me into a re-adjustment period. I haven’t checked into this specifically, but I can only hope that these UI changes are merely an admin theme, and the option to stay with the current design and layout will be present.
I applaud Automattic for being upfront and asking for user participation in this. I also realize that whatever changes they make are likely going to be the result of a majority consensus, of which I am only one voice. However, I hope they don’t radically and permanently alter the familiar face of what I have come to consider and “old friend”.
Related articles
- Brian Gardner’s Revolution Theme Goes Open Source
- Listening to Your Users
- What To Expect In WordPress 2.7
- WordPress News and Announcements on WordPress 2.7 and More
- Wordpress 2.7
- New Wordpress 2.7 Coming Out in November
- Flexibility – WordPress Design Made Simple
A favorite saying of mine is “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” The WordPress interface has to change to meet the growing needs of users and fix the problems it has with usability. The cool thing, as you say, is that the team has been really inclusive and the testing has been extensive over the past two years. Since the changes in the interface come from user testing, not assumptions or “that’s just how we’ve always done it”, while it may take time for those of us familiar with the WordPress interface to adapt, the changes are based upon feedback from the users.
When the users speak, they are listening and working hard to meet their needs. It’s an interesting way of handling the development, with all the transparency, surveys, and polls, but I think WordPress is going to be the better for it. I think it’s better than the developers making all the decisions. The users are making this interface work.