Saasu released a change of the menu system from left navigation to top navigation overnight. The menu instead of being displayed vertically is now horizontal and less frequently used options are now available in the "More" drop down list.
This is a customer driven release. Customers are asking for speed, more data columns in lists and reports with less icons and clutter.
We are happy to help as less graphic content has the benefit of cleaner screens and faster screen load times. You will see some minor changes later in the month as we colourise the online accounting experience a little more. We have heard the feedback that you like lots of colour to make accounting fun. Part of the change is also about preparation for new features and reports that will require more screen space below the menu system.
Please let us have your feedback so we keep it in consideration for future releases. We do our best to please everyone but we also realise change does come with resistance so we haven’t taken this step lightly. We think getting used to the changes should only take a few minutes but will result in a much better experience in the future.
Nice update… happy to take a little time to make the adjustment…
Comment by Adam Fox — March 17, 2009 @ 4:39 am
Hi, I like the new menu system but what would be really useful is a quick link to my most commonly used reports either from the top menu or from the dashboard.
e.g. the most commonly used report I use is the 12 month profit & loss but it’s now 4 clicks to get there rather than 3. I’d like an option under display settings or dashboard configuration to put a link to this report directly on the dashboard which is where I normally start from.
Del
Comment by Del — March 17, 2009 @ 5:45 am
Hi
I was a bit taken aback but like all change I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
One thing though, I design a lot of user interfaces and I am always slapping myself for the overuse of bold font. Your menu along the top right is spot on but the Dashboard, Sales, Purchases etc main menu would look much cleaner if not Bold. The way they are now they don’t immediately look like clickable links. Same can be said for all the list column headers in sales lists etc. The blue is good but should not be bold.
Give it a try and I think you’ll see a much more professional look.
Cheers and thanks for your time.
Comment by Richard Krimmer — March 18, 2009 @ 12:17 am
Thanks Adam
Comment by admin — March 18, 2009 @ 4:37 am
Del, we’ll give users the ability to set shortcuts eventually, later this year though as multi-currency is keen high priority from customers in the development queue.
Comment by admin — March 18, 2009 @ 4:38 am
@Richard there is some slight design tweaks in tonight’s release after receiving two days of feedback. One of which you suggested along with someone else. So thanks
Comment by admin — March 18, 2009 @ 4:40 am
I thought I’d logged onto Facebook for a minute.
Comment by Eliot — March 19, 2009 @ 8:55 am
I am new to Saasu and overall impressed with what is on offer. Regarding new design interface I agree with Richards early comments … it looks a little too plain for my liking and I hope that fresh color – perhaps some clever use of the “traffic light colors – one of the few global color standards” green, amber, red (eg. using red for long outstanding receivables etc) will make a positive difference.
One of the most “attractive Dashboards” I have come across is at https://www.clarityaccounting.com … it show what a little color and basic good design can achieve.
Also, increasing speed by reducing graphics makes sense in one way but we who have to motivate new users coming from MYOB or Quicken to embrace this new technology need some help during the transition period and “attractive, user friendly look and feel” plays a much bigger role than some accountants may think!
Comment by Siegfried Drews — March 22, 2009 @ 2:36 am
Thank you Siegfried for mentioning Clarity Accounting in your comment. In terms of design, we have stayed away from doing horizontal navigations because we found horizontal navigations more difficult to for people to read. Basically, vertical scanning is easier than horizontal scanning. However, that did make it more difficult for us to get enough space to fit everything on the Dashboard. Which is why we have opted for numberical metrics instead of graphics. Design is a matter of personal taste, there are many well known applications using horizontal navigation (Freshbooks.com for example) and have done it extremely well. Mind you, Saasu has more features than Clarity Accounting in the realm of Inventory and Payroll (which reflects in their pricing) and they have much more menu items to fit into their Dashboard — making it more challenging to create a functional design.
Comment by May Chu — March 23, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
Love the new menus, freaked me out for a second but it makes sense to go this way. I agree with Del (fav reports) and RK (no bold, smaller titles – looks like shouting) and SD (richer data).
Well done!
Cheers, Pete.
Comment by Pete — March 23, 2009 @ 11:28 pm