JoomlaWorks

In the upcoming version 3 of Simple Image Gallery Pro (due out in a few weeks) we aim to redefine "simplicity" once more, but this time offering a lot more control. People want to be able to just drag and drop a bunch of images to their browser (instead of zipping them), quickly add some captions (labels) and publish their gallery into a K2 item, Joomla article, Virtuemart/redShop product or other extension. And that's what the new Simple Image Gallery Pro delivers, while still maintaining full manual control over your galleries via FTP. Sounds great? Well... it is!

What you'll also notice in the screenshots below is that Simple Image Gallery Pro's backend is very different from traditional Joomla component backend design. That's because with the launch of Simple Image Gallery Pro version 3, we're also launching our new design approach for our components. More usable, faster to work with, more productive. It's true that Joomla's backend design hasn't really evolved much, even with the launch of Joomla 3. And building components that work on Joomla 2.5, 3.0 and future versions or even older ones like 1.5, means you end up with products that look a lot different. This is bad in many aspects, but it's also becoming boring for us and our customers to use. Yes, Joomla is a bit boring in terms of user interface and it's definitely not the best in terms of user friendlyness. We aim to change that.

As you'll notice in the screenshots below, we simply *don't* want the user (newbie or experienced) to think too much before using any of our components. We want the user to sense a "user interface familiarity" and start working in a matter of seconds. We also don't want to have dull/boring designs anymore. We work with Joomla daily and the tools we use should be functionaly and aesthetically pleasing. People managing some of the biggest Joomla websites in the world usually work on K2 for 8 or more staight hours a day. Can we make K2 more functional and more pleasing to the eye, so the whole process of actual "content management" becomes more enjoyable?

Of course we can. We just have to divert a bit from the current "Joomla UI guidelines".

For starters, we don't need to show the user buttons that they simply cannot click without first selecting at least 1 item in a classic row of data. Why should we always show the "move" button (e.g. for K2 items) when a user would only need to see this button if he clicked one or more items? Likewise, we can organize filters that have 2 possible values only (e.g. sort a list by date created ascending/descending) altogether, saving lots of space for the content the user sees and manages. As you may have noticed already, device screens are shrinking, instead of growing. Tablets are now selling more than PCs. So by providing more "real estate" for our content, we make managing that content a lot easier.

Our components' new backend design will be responsive by default, even on Joomla 2.5's backend which is not responsive...

Additionally, we've re-thought elements like the component's menu. Does it really have to divide each backend view controls for the actual content? See how browsers changed the placement of their tabs (above everything).

We'll provide more insight for our new design approach as we release updates and new extensions throughout the year.