A Refreshed Interface for Guardian360

02 Jan A Refreshed Interface for Guardian360

In the month of December we made some changes to our platform’s look and feel to give it a more modern look that matches the technology that drives that platform behind the scenes.

These changes have been implemented to give a more modern and functional aesthetic as we methodically upgrade our front-end infrastructure.

These are sorely needed changes because while there is much substance within our platform behind the scenes, it is a fact that people are driven very much by the way software looks: ‘if it looks outdated then it must be outdated’. This perception is not necessarily aligned with reality as some very good-looking software is rubbish and some ugly software is very robust, efficient and useful. This is much like some people actually 😉

At Guardian360 we aim to produce quality software that is sexy on the outside as well as on the inside, pleasant but powerful.

Here are some of the strategies we implemented in order to improve things:

1. We got rid of a bunch of stuff

Good design is very much like good code. If something does not have a purpose then it does not need to be there. We got rid of a bunch of colours and lines which leaves the design looking more crisp and modern. It will be immediately evident in the menu, our tables, and our headers

2. We grouped things better

Making obvious groupings allow users to see things that are related to each other and helps us to convey the journey more clearly.

The menu has a new structure where things that are similar are grouped together – for example: our contacts, contracts and organisations all fall under our CRM section.

We have also grouped our table controls more tightly together and put a grey background around them to show they belong together and are unique from other areas on the page. Not only does the grouping make sense but it also allows us to give more screen realty to the table where all the data is displayed.

3. We have made the data the hero

Our entire GUI (graphic User Interface) is purpose built for one thing, to display information and provide insights to users. More screen realty has been given to our table content so that users can see more at a glance when opening up the page.

4. We have improved context

Simply by making our table headers sticky users can now interact with the table and know where they are at all times no matter how far the scroll down their data. Our username is also now visible at all times which will be good for clients sharing devices.

From a coding perspective these were minor changes but from an impact perspective they were profound and will set a good foundation for much of our anticipated features in the year to come.