Beta 2: Starting a Header with a Section - some thoughts

[Misho]

I see that now the default action when creating a new Header is choosing a layout, which creates a Section and a Row with Columns. It is not even possible to start with a Bar anymore.

While I love the fact that we have the power of Rows and Columns in the Header, I am a bit concerned about new users that may completely miss the fact that there are goodies such as Sticky and Scrolling, which can be found only on Bars.

On the other hand, if they know about the Bar and want the best of both worlds, ie, placing a Row into the Bar to get the sticky option but also to get responsiveness of Rows, they get inconsistent experience.

On the following screenshot, we can see a bar that has a Row element added, and a Section/Row combo below. A new user may have trouble understanding that the Row needs to be set to 100% wide with max-width, etc.

I don’t have any recommendation here. Just some observations. Not sure if they is useful.

[urchindesign]

You always say it better than I do

I’ve also mentioned some of this in another post. If this is to be the default I would, as a minimum, rename “Bar” to “Header Bar” so that new users can more easily figure out what it is.

[kory]

@Misho, feedback is always welcomed and we certainly appreciate your perspectives as a longtime user.

It is still possible to start with Bars in the Header Builder as they are part of the “Layout” group in these Builders when adding Elements over in the Outline Pane:

Some of this is just the reality of having a complex, multi-dimensional builder that has lots of ways to potentially solve the same problems. The Bar was built during a time when it was a very specific way to solve a specific challenge with headers. While they absolutely have some very specific functionality helpful to building in these contexts, the reality is they are also wildly different from many of the other Elements in the builder and can potentially cause confusion for new users. Many users have asked for a long time to have access to our other “Layout” Elements in the Header and Footer builders, and including them here does not preclude users from exploring Bars still. While I can certainly see that there might be some concerns raised from more experienced builders with regards to the “right” way to build out a Header (likely using Bars, and being careful with breakpoints, et cetera), the reality is that for other users just getting started, the complexity of this might be off-putting and perhaps simply building out a header with a Row might feel more approachable…it certainly has it’s issues, but that is for users to solve and work through. It might just be “cleaner” for a beginner to make a Header out of a Row with two columns, use “Space Between” to spread them out, and put their content in and be good to go.

I have definitely noted all of this down and will see if there are any solutions that might strike a middle ground. Thank you as always for your feedback.

[Misho]

Indeed, there is the “Add element” plus sign on the pane. I missed it. I imagine many will miss it as well, because this is a very clear, definite message, as the first thing to see:

With such a strong and prominent message, that’s what users will do, ignoring the alternative offered much further, in the pane. It is as good as not having an option to start with the Bar anymore, at which point they may miss out on the much-used sticky header option. Maybe it is just a messaging issue, or maybe I am simply too biased and imagining things.

[kory]

@Misho, not at all…your points are valid and received. We’re just trying to balance that with other feedback we’ve received through the years. I will certainly think over this some with the team and see where we land on things. That being said, what we have currently is certainly a “progressive enhancement” way for people to get into things by starting with something simple and familiar and they can grow into the more advanced Elements. Thanks as always for your thoughts!

[DoncoMarketing]

Totally agree with @Misho here. I thought it was a bug until literally just this minute. While the option of sections, rows, and columns is amazing. I think defaulting to a bar still makes the most sense, no? With the option to circumvent?

[kory]

@DoncoMarketing, users can still start with any Element they wish using the Outline pane. The prompt showing in an “empty” header is just a common starting point used across all the builders.