TYPO3 v6.0 Update: A Designers Eye View
All of our websites here at Liquid Light are built using the powerful open source content management system, TYPO3. We have recently updated many of our client websites to the new version of TYPO3 v6.0 and have noticed quite a few changes.
In general the appearance of the TYPO3 v6.0 backend has improved, it feels much slicker and user friendly. Here's is a quick designers eye view of the some of the improvements to the user interface, so that you know what to expect if you are upgraded.
Welcome screen
Immediate impression is more sophisticated, nice subtle use of gradients giving the page a more crafted feel. Orange used for the active button makes it super simple to click and Login.
Page View
In the past , if your page had a complex structure of content elements, it would be quite hard to distinguish individual content blocks. Now they are made much more visible by the use of dark header bars. The view has been simplified further by reducing the amount of lines used.
List View
There is a greater contrast on the “zebra stripes” on the table view, making it easier for the eye to identify individual list items.
Page Tree
The “plus & minus” icons have been replaced by more intuitive arrows denoting whether a tree item is expanded or not.
Although these are all subtle changes, they have improved the backend of TYPO3 v6.0 and have made it that bit easier and pleasurable to use. This is an important point, not just for us designers and developers who live and breath TYPO3, but more importantly for our clients. Anything that improves the training process for our clients and the subsequent use of their CMS has got to be a good thing. A CMS that is easier to use, means clients are more likely to want to update their websites, keep their content fresh and engaging and ultimately increase engagement with their website.
Intuitive design & user interface enhancements are an important part of any update. Good work TYPO3, lets see even more improvement to the UI in the next update.
