The latest update to WordPress brings some big changes to the design of the WordPress dashboard. This post takes a look at some of these new updates.
Clean Modern Design
WordPress 3.8 has a clean new modern design with a focus on typography. The typeface “Open Sans” is used to enhance readability while adding some warmth and friendliness to the interface.
The new design adds contrast between the menu and content areas. More spaciousness, warmth and openness improves the readability and overall user experience.
Responsive Dashboard
Even more important than the visual overhaul, the WordPress dashboard is now fully responsive. This means you can easily edit your content on any sized device or browser.
WordPress icons are now vector based rather than pixel based meaning they will look crisp on retina displays.
Color and Personality
You can now select from 8 colors to personalize your admin dashboard. While I’m not sure how many people will use this, I can see it being a nice touch for branding the backend of the dashboard. Hopefully, future updates will allow for custom hex code color entry.
WordPress Theme Management
The theme management area also is designed to enhance user experience and quickly test out new themes. You can quickly get information and experiment with different themes using your keyboard.
Overview of WordPress 3.8
Overall this is a majorly ambitious WordPress update. While some might dismiss these changes as cosmetic, these updates will drastically shift the user experience for millions of people.
This update from WordPress shows that the back end of user interfaces are starting to receive some of the attention that we generally place on the front end. This should create friendlier and more usable applications across most all devices.
What’s your experience of WordPress 3.8? Is it helping you navigate the dashboard more effectively or do you think it’s just new wallpaper? Please let us know in the comments.