Announcement: Syncro UI / UX Refresh

[kristen.costagliola]

Exciting changes are coming to Syncro’s user experience! Throughout 2023, we’ll be updating our UI to be simpler and more responsive while working on additional features within our platform.

To keep you in the loop on changes, we’ll update this post periodically so you can see what’s been done and what’s coming next. You can refer back to this info if you have questions or want to train your team in advance.

Table of Contents

1. Top Navigation
2. Ticket Views & Filters
3. Ticket Detail

Top Navigation

Our first major update comes with a change to the top navigation within the Syncro Platform. We had a number of goals in mind with this change including:

• Better predictability for navigation and alert elements
• Reduce visual clutter for screen adjustments and resizing
• Enhance overall user experience and improve user workflows
• Keep experience so you do not have to change your muscle memory
• Improved customization of the navigation bar to meet personal requirements

Here are some of the updates we’ve made as part of this update:

• Improved readability on the dashboard
• Better spacing, allow you to see more of the navigation menu
• Standardized screen reflows for optimal resizing on most devices
• Knowing what page you have navigated to within the More tab
• Screen reader accessibility and keyboard navigation

These navigation updates were made Mar 6, 2023

Top Nav Update: Given the feedback after initial release, now when you expand your browser, additional tabs are added whole you continue to expand the screen.

The navigation also will be sticky and collapsible to give you more screen space.

This was applied to all accounts April 18, 2023

Ticket Views & Filters

Our team is been hard at work updating the Ticket Views and Filters on the Ticket Index page. We are streamlining the filtering & grouping to make it easier to use and more responsive. We are standardizing on our new Light and Dark mode coloring that you will see across the site as we update pages.

We have updated our Ticket Views to be easier to select and modify. You can assign a view to be your default when you navigate to the ticketing page to simplify your workflow. Ticket grouping is no longer persistent within Ticket Filters and that persistence has now moved to Ticket Views. Primary and Secondary grouping options can now be saved into your Ticket Views letting you customize your workflows even further.

These updates will be applied to all accounts May 23, 2023

This is our first step towards multiple enhancements coming to our Ticketing module, including granular controls over Ticket Views and Ticket assignment.

Ticket Detail Page

We know you spend a lot of time working on tickets. To reduce load times and unnecessary clicks, we’ll be streamlining the Ticket Detail page.

More information is coming soon!

[DBlue]

Looks good.
Does the new navigation UI stay on screen when the page is scrolled?

I hoping it behaves similar to the navigation in this forum, when we scroll a thread, the Discourse navigation stays on screen.

[kristen.costagliola]

Great question. The navigation isn’t sticky with this first update but something we will be adding in the future.

[mgiordano]

Will you be removing the option to go “full screen” which doesn’t actually add any additional real estate, or will you be fixing it so it does allow more on screen?

I really like the new look.

[garyh]

I do spend most of my time on the Ticket details page. Just simply having the CC field edit correctly (and not get overridden by clients who do not reply all) along with stopping the long winded refresh when changing some of the fields like tech would be helpful.

Allow the minutes spent to also accept entry like 1.5h and have it convert to minutes would be helpful.

[isaacg]

Will there be an opt-in early access for UI changes so we can try and get any issues addressed before wide deployment?

[Jimmie]

Good question, I know other companies will provide a link to switch back and forth, but I don’t think they are planning to build it out this way. Sounds like they may be releasing as they go. :S

[Foreground]

Is the option to change the default color scheme? That would be great. There’s really only one color I want to change. I’m looking at you, #34a7bd. Who’s favorite color is that anyway?

[isaacg]

You can use the Stylus browser extension with this SyncroMSP in Blue | Userstyles.org I made and modify to whatever color you want if you don’t like blue. I imagine it will break with the UI upgrade and I’ll have to update it.

[downsouthcomputers]

Would there be an update made to the mobile app for iso? Very painful at present

[ahall]

Indeed. I opt to use the website over the mobile app when on mobile. It’s just easier.

[garyh]

The website has more functionality than the mobile app but it is definitely awkward to use on a mobile device due to the screen size.

[anon33210212]

+1 for fixing/ putting efforts towards the mobile app instead of a gui refresh… I could give a hoot about how it looks as long as it performs well across all platorms

[anon93541942]

Does not even need to be an app… just have the site formatted to adapt to mobile devices.

[anon33210212]

True, but apps would give the option for better push notifications, as well as security. Think of how much better your bank app is as oppoesed to using the web version. ( I use Bank of America and the app is great, but the mobile version of the website is very limited)

[isaacg]

Likely the app will just be a wrapper for the website at some point. Once it’s redesigned it should look much better in mobile form and can be dynamically designed for different screens. It’s silly for them to develop two different UI’s when they clearly don’t have the dev resources to do so well.

[doug]

Please please please get us a better date/time selector.

[Jimmie]

One of my biggest issues with navigation is embedded links on pages. This is confusing to find, especially for new users. Pages should be in the navigation menu, either primary, secondary, or tertiary menus. For example, Policies has 5 other pages listed under Policy Modules. These should all be under a secondary menu on the Policies tab. Doesn’t look like that’s part of the initial rollout, but hopefully is planned for the future.

[Jimmie]

This is probably going to be frustrating at first, but should have been like this from the beginning, the Customer link on various pages should go to the Customer instead of opening that element. For example, clicking the Customer on the Ticket screen, opens that Ticket.

Under an Invoice, Business Name should link to the Customer. Right now, Name links to the customer, but if you don’t have a First/Last it shows (empty) and links to the customer.

[mike]

Just watched the webinar, very good info and am excited to see more progress all across the board.

@kristen.costagliola - Something that drives me crazy with the UX/UI is not being able to click to a customers other assets. When I am on an asset page today, I have to go back to the customer page by clicking on the customer name, scroll down to the asset section, then click all assets just to see the list of assets for that customer. That is way too many clicks.

I have always felt that we need the ability to see other assets for that customer within any asset page, because if I am working with one asset for a customer, I am most likely going to need to access the server for that customer, or browse on other assets for that customer. I hope to see something like this come to the UX to minimize the time it takes to navigate. To make it simple starting out, if we could just have the servers listed somewhere on all the asset pages, that would be a big help.

The same is true within tickets. If I am on a ticket, I need to be able to have a 1-click to other tickets for that customer, or at least be able to see what else is open, so I can tell if there is a related ticket that is open for that, or to reference back for more information. Also, to have the initial issue at the top of the screen would be a big help.