User Friendliness

May 14 2009

By Chadwick Meyer

When we first created Gutensite, we wanted it to be powerful and flexible so that we could use the framework to build any site for any client. And in the hands of experts it has performed amazingly. However, as we began to open up our platform to anyone who wanted a free site, it became obvious that power and user friendliness are often at odds with one another, especially when a good percentage of our users (especially those with Free Lite versions) initially start building their site with absolutely zero knowledge of how to use Gutensite, no background training, and no available support. So we have been laboring steadily to make things much more intuitive, so that the CMS teaches new users how to use itself.

One of the ways we have improved our Control Panel is through the use of large graphics which represent each option. The power and options available through gutensite can be intimidating, but by putting a friendly, non-technical skin overtop controls, it almost looks simple. Overcoming the intimidation factor is one of the most critical steps, because if people are intimidated their brains shut down.

Along this vein, we have strived to limit the options available to users, showing only the options that are relevant at a particular moment. When new clients first setup their site, they are guided through our Gutenstart setup guide, at which time they select which functionality they want to use on their sites. We offer a lot of different functionality, but most people only need a couple features, e.g. Blog, Portfolio, and Multimedia Library. When they select the options they want, we disable all the other options in their Control Panel (unless they activate them in the future). This provides a sleek interface customized to each client's needs. The large icons then provide a list of all the available features, and then when clicked on, the related sub options for that feature will appear in the side menu. At any time the Tool Dock can be sprung open to reveal the main list of options.

We've also implemented tabs to hide all the "extra" options and "advanced" settings when editing pages and categories. This allows power users access to the advanced options (which are numerous) but only presenting a few basic options to the novice user.

These few minor superficial changes have revolutionized our Control Panel, and greatly improved people's ability to build sites without our direct support. And we haven't even gotten to some of the more structural changes that are underway. Stay tuned for more, e.g.: Integrated Menu and Sitemap Birds Eye View Interface, AJAX support for adding new categories, options, images, resources, etc., directly on the editing page, drag and drop ordering, improved file uploader, etc.

Tags : User Friendly, GUI, Control Panel, Simplify, Easy

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