The new manager - looking for best practice solutions

Take a look of new EE 2.0 backend http://expressionengine.com/ee2_sneak_preview/
Some interesting things in http://demo.silverstripe.com/, http://www.magentocommerce.com/

Thanks! Captured them. Silverstripe is really cool.

I had not seen EE2.0, thanks for the link. I already like the previous look but the new one is very nice.

Keep in mind that both the Revolution Manager and the Evolution Manager will be different than what’s out there today. This conversation in even just a few months will likely be different. As far as limiting things, you can do much of that today with simple roles. Revolution will make this much more granular, however.

Keep in mind that both the Revolution Manager and the Evolution Manager will be different than what’s out there today.

Sure, another reason for collecting ideas.

Revolution will make this much more granular, however.

That is my reason for starting the comparison. To create a manager that fits the user`s needs. If the mockup then is realisable with revo...perfect

Silverstripe’s manager is very similar to modx BUT I think that 3 column is going in the wrong direction. (although SS has diff/history, DnD image placement and GD handling on image upload (really nice).)

EE 2 on the other hand is very attractive, has larger fonts (which is something end users appreciate) and thoughtful use of color and whitespace.

Interface design is a design project and the managers will get refinement--especially Revolution since it is a means to an end using Ext Js.

Personally, I’d love to see a combination of HTML and jQuery or some AJAX in the manager. But the design is not a design its just an interface.

We’re a mature project and we need to do what all mature projects do and that is enhance the user experience continually through improvements, testing and design.

I am impressed by EXTJS for ease of implementation but see the limits of using an OOTB. We are stuck with the formats, outputs and more significantly the structures of the system rather than the system be a presentation layer for the manager.

Hi there all,

I have not been on the ModX forums for a while and I thought I’d see how Revolution is coming on as I installed the alpha a few months back I think. To me one of the key elements of ModX has always been how easy the Manager is to explain to other people. There has always been obvious thought put into the design and from a designer and developer’s point of view, it is simply a great piece of software. Now I think with a perfect backend, as well as the de-cluttered code of Revolution, ModX could very easily become the industry leader.

If you have not seen it already, I would suggest taking a look at the Magento administration area - it has ’revolutionised’ e-commerce stores with an application level interface. I know this is a great UI because I have sat with clients who think they are using a program rather than a web admin area. Check out the demo at http://www.magentocommerce.com/demo

In fact I used Magento and ModX together on a project about 4 months ago - Magento as the e-com solution and ModX as a magazine area. Magento has an API that could be implemented with ModX.

I use many online apps, but by far Magento’s UI is the hands-down winner at addressing the needs of it’s users. I won’t post screengrabs as the beauty of the UI is in the actual interaction.

Keep up the amazing work!

Jim

Clearest backend i’ve ever seen: http://demo.typolight.org/typolight/index.php

It even validates...!

So, hadn’t had time for writing a detailed comparison. But from what I saw, there are not that much solutions out there worth mentioning... Instead I created a mockup how I wish the manager to look like.

Let me explain a bit:

- Entry page after logging in is a configurable dashboard. Each user can decide what to display here. Also most needed functions can be put there as quicklinks.
- On the upper left we have a always displayed toolbar with the links "home","preview","clear cache" and "show tree". Hovering that bar will display the text to the links (not in the images).

Inner page:

- Like in the new office versions (see post above), the possible actions are reachable by hovering the section link (like "site" etc.)
- I cleaned up a bit the ressource, elements and files tree. Actions which are dependend on the individual tree are shown right above the tree. General section actions (like add ressource) are displayed in the section menu.

Well, just take a look. Comments, suggestions etc. very appreciated.

I think MODx needs a more attractive backend for the enduser, so that`s the reason why I spent my weekend with this mockup ;-)

Greetings,
Marc

Awesome awesome stuff. THANK YOU!

Very nice mockup. I am drooling just looking at it.