We've got a fresh new look: Gomo UI refresh FAQs

The team has been working hard behind the scenes to overhaul the look and feel of the Gomo authoring tool and we’re now ready to show off this exciting new redesign in this blog from our MD, Gavin Beddow.

Read on to find out why we felt it was time for a change, what there is to be excited about, and how you can dive in and experience it for yourself.

Why are we refreshing the UI?

Those of you who have been with us since Gomo first became available to the public in 2014, will have seen the tools available evolve and grow significantly. One constant throughout this time, however, has been Gomo’s UI. Whilst the design has served us well, adapting to accommodate every new piece of functionality that we have added, our future plans for Gomo needed something new and more flexible. We have three main reasons for the overhaul:

1. We want to modernize

Gomo itself has played a part in a new responsive, HTML5-enabled era for eLearning authoring. So it’s only right that we periodically review whether the interface is similarly keeping pace with what we all expect of UI design in a modern product. We had started to feel that the design felt dated compared with the SaaS products we all use in our everyday lives.

2. It’s an opportunity to standardize

Inconsistencies in style, formatting and layout inevitably creep into any UI when new features are added. Many of these may not be noticed by Gomo veterans, but newcomers can be less forgiving. We believe that every user deserves the smoothest experience we can design. Moving to a new UI allows us to establish a new baseline for the design and allows us to address feedback.

3. We’re building a better foundation for future features

We can’t talk too much about every aspect of our longer-term vision for Gomo. However, we can at least say that this UI refresh lays the groundwork for further UI-related features, and is part of our ongoing commitment to examining how we best serve learning professionals everywhere.

What can we expect from the Gomo UI refresh?

Gomo’s new UI gives your authoring experience a modern facelift with a cleaner, fresher more visually engaging approach: you’ll see examples of the new UI throughout this post. With the new UI now officially available to everyone, we’re confident that Gomo’s outer looks better match (and explain) the quality of its inner workings.

Here are some of the changes we’ve made that are especially worth highlighting:

• We have performed a complete refresh of all modal windows, tidying elements and rethinking the placement of specific options.
• The main editor has been reworked to have a less technical, less intimidating appearance.
• We now make wider use of images and simple animations (e.g. rollover effects on key categories) where appropriate.
• We have redesigned our course creation wizard, making it more helpful for newcomers.
• We have written more orientation messaging to help explain the function of key screens.
• We have repainted the interface with color choices and graphic design more in keeping with our current, modernized branding.
• Smaller inconsistencies with padding and positioning have been addressed across the interface.

What isn’t going to change?

Firstly, it’s important that we emphasize that Gomo’s underlying functionality is staying the same. Every feature accessible in the old UI is accessible in the new UI. Though where you go to find specific controls has changed slightly in a small number of cases, we believe that experienced Gomo users and newcomers alike will agree that these changes bring elements more closely in line with rules established elsewhere in the tool.

It’s also worth emphasizing that we won’t be adding any new functionality with this update. On the other hand, we have significant new developments in our roadmap that will be more effective post-UI-overhaul. Stay tuned for more information in the days and months ahead.

Finally, we will not be changing the following bits of the Gomo experience immediately (though we’ll bring them up to date in due course):

• Support materials: Because functionality remains unchanged, our existing support materials remain relevant. However, you will still see screenshots from the legacy UI while we complete the process of updating all currently available resources.
• Hosting UI: The hosting area of the Gomo suite will continue to use the existing UI, pending its own refresh.

When will the new UI be available?

After months of rigorous testing and tweaking, the new Gomo UI is available to use right now! If you’re already a Gomo user, the new UI will be available whenever you next log into your account.

New to Gomo? Click the button below to express your interest in a free trial, and experience Gomo’s full range of award-winning features for yourself.