⚡️ Releases - Exciting Updates for New Table View, New Sidebar, Request Forms, Automation, Item View, and Blueprints (07/24/2023)
Feature Updates
- New Table View - The Long-Awaited Predecessors Column is Here! 🔥
You asked, we delivered! The much-anticipated Predecessors column has finally made its grand entrance in the New Table view!
- Wrike Lightspeed - Search and Profile Pictures Moved to Sidebar 📌
We've moved the Search and user's profile picture and menu to the new Sidebar. We think this will help you separate your workspace actions from your item-specific actions, making your Wrike experience even more intuitive 🙂
And don't worry, even if your Sidebar is packed, your search and profile will always be at your fingertips!
You'll see this change if you have the Wrike Lightspeed toggle on 👍
- Request Forms - Auto Updates for Custom Fields Available ⚡️
We heard your feedback and we're thrilled to introduce auto-updates for Custom Fields in Request Forms! No more manual updates needed when custom fields change. For more details, check out this Community post.
- Automation - Change Text in Custom Fields Action Added 🤩
The "Сhange custom field" action now works with text-type custom fields. You can choose to change text, add prefix/suffix, or remove text from the field when the rule is triggered.
- Item View - New Layout ✅
Your data is now displayed in one easy-to-read column. All your important fields are just one click away in the collapsible menu on the right. And the best part? We've added a custom field search bar to help you find fields by name or value! 🔎
Many of you have already chimed in with your thoughts on this update in this Community thread - if you haven't yet, feel free to jump in and share your feedback.
- Blueprints - Save As Space-Level Blueprints Release 💙
Now, you can save any item as a space blueprint, ready to use as a template for your future tasks. Just open the context menu, select Save as blueprint, and voila!
Additionally, if you'd like to convert an account-level blueprint to a space-level one, we've got you covered. You can first create a work item from the account-level blueprint and then save it as a space blueprint.
Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Hiding the search function in the sidebar is already slowing me down with an extra click. I'd rather see the help icon get moved into the sidebar and move the search back to the main top-right navigation.
I use two monitors and often use split screen to have two windows or apps open on the same screen. So it's not practical for me to keep the left nav bar open all the time.
100% agreement with Daisy Hibbard
Moving the search button into the sidebar is absolutely slowing me down as well. The search is one of the key features I use, and I need to access it from any screen. Adding it into the sidebar (which I usually hide) adds dozens of unnecessary clicks and wasted time looking for the icon (as it can be in two places) to my daily workflow. This is another case of slowing down users by hiding necessary and frequently used features in sub-menus. As much as I like the new lightspeed experience, changes like these (same with the "Update per email" function, now hidden in a sub-menu) are a real bummer and a massive downgrade in productivity compared to legacy for me and my fellow users.
And to be fully honest: It is incredibly frustrating, as there is now the useless "Automation" button in place of the search button - adding only wasted space to us users, who are not admins and therefore can't use the automations.
Tipp
Use the keyboard shortcut. It works everywhere. Quick and easy. Also when the sidebar is hidden. It's possible to use Alt+Shift+S (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+S (Mac OS) - it places your cursor in the search box so that you can start typing.
Marco Nipkow This is a super helpful workaround—THANK YOU!
I agree this is very frustrating. The changes that are being made daily leave you searching for the features and are having a negative impact on productivity. I don't understand the logic behind these changes. Continuous change becomes a deficit to the end-users, not a benefit. I wish Wrike would focus on functionality we have been requesting and waiting on for years instead of arbitrary changes to the UI that serve no real benefit for the functionality of the tool.
Thank you for that workaround, Marco. That will help immensely!
I like the update for saving blueprint direct on space level. I would like to have that also for CIT and Workflows. That would safe me time to make several CITs/Workflow for each space.
Hi Lisa,
I agree with the above comments. Hiding the Search and Settings sections introduces more clicks and removes the visibility of areas we use regularly.
Agree with Shruti on all points. We would like to adjust the manual for our employees on lightspeed, but there are changes every week.
Keeping up with the changes is almost half a day's work a week, which does not help the adoption of Wrike in our company because we want to emphasize that we save time with using Wrike.
We asked our account manager to postpone the migration.
Agree with what's being said about the search function. It's the primary item I use when I first go to Wrike. The search icon can easily fit next to the Wrike Assistant icon, so why not just add it there?
Thanks a lot for your feedback, everyone! We've already discussed it with the Product team.
Previously, it also took several clicks to close a current open item and go to Search, and that was the main driver for this change. Also, we wanted to separate your workspace actions from your item-specific actions. At the same time, we do understand where you're coming from, and the team is planning to do some fine-tuning for the current UI - we'll keep you updated!
Thank you again for letting us know your thoughts!
Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
I do not like the search on the left side. In almost every application I work, it is on the right side. That also includes the way to the settings.
An additional seach option on the left side wouldn't have hurt, but otherwise it is feels like breaking with common placement -> usability breach. Our users really don't like the interface keeps changing that fast.
Lately we have big performance issues with wrike (started with new views). And the got worse with "Lightspeed".
PS: I alos need the refresh button a lot now. That's quite annoying
Search field is not visible even in the search results if you do not view the left menu. That's not very user friendly.
One search often causes another search.
I appreciated a lot of the things you changed but lately you tend to make quite a few things worse not better. You should really do more usability tests, use the labs more, think about using personas and szenarios ...
You changed how the automation on custom fields works. Function is less useful (or more complicated) if I cannot tell the system at the same time
- if the value changes to a certain value(s) AND
- had a certain value before
only then it should do something. This redesign causes more calls and makes the configuration less logical.
(I hope the old version stays in the system and is not completly removed).
Besides changing a custom field only for free text fields and check boxes with automatism: Why not drop down? Makes no sense at all.
Thank you for sharing your feedback on these recent changes Petra Hauer! I'll now pass it on to the responsible team.
Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Some of the new changes are not helpful at all.
Con's
- Changing the search bar location is a hinderance; It's hidden and smaller and I have misclicked to the inbox a handful of times and then it disrupts the flow of what I'm actively working on. The way it was previously felt standard to search bars in other programs and now not only is it hidden but it's an unusual space for a search bar. Plus I can't reference my previous search without clicking into it to look and what is with it being its own pop up window? Inconvenient on many fronts.
- The custom fields are hidden on the main project page. I have to click on 2 +More to get to that information, not only that but the way they are listed now is much less concise. It's listed individually in a column instead of being grouped together. This was where we were able to view/pull all the major information for our projects at a quick glance and it's not only harder to view but it's cumbersome to get to especially when I'm just trying to quick view several different projects or pull one piece of information from the fields but across several projects. Things like this should have a toggle access to hide or unhide them. I feel the same way about the dependencies bar, it's not something I use so it's wasted space that I wish I could toggle to hide. I know this issue has been touched on here but it's still part of my con's list for the UI overhaul.
-Moving the spaces to a drop down has somehow made them more difficult to navigate but that's minor. And the space overview is another place to misclick that adds no value (at least in my opinion).
-The minor way several small buttons were moved or changed is frustrating because at this point I'm having to relearn my muscle memory for several tasks on changes that were literally just placement changes. It feels so unnecessary - like how the date button just shifted (and got bigger). Also the assignee's being a much bigger button which takes up valuable real estate and it did not make it more functional. It also doesn't make sense to me why the attach files was removed from the top - I understand it's still located in the file section and the comment box and they can still be dragged and dropped but this is a project management tool where file storing is a big part, why remove an extra way to do that?
-The location tags changing where now it's a whole line nestled in a drop down instead of a small tag at the top? Takes up more space and is less functional especially when it was one of the easiest ways to quickly archive. It used to be real easy to change or add the tag now it takes 2 extra clicks to do it. I know 2 extra clicks isn't a lot but it adds up and is ultimately time consuming.
- The general view of the site is much less appealing in my opinion. I really think it's the lack of banner/color that does it for me since. When the side bar is closed it's very sparse and uncomfortable.
- The site was changed so drastically that I have to update all of my how-to guides and the fact that I'm having to add extra lines in because processes take more clicks to get to is exasperating. And that's not even considering how unexpected the change was.
- I cannot reiterate Jen's comment enough - it hit the nail on the head and I would like to quote " Continuous change becomes a deficit to the end-users, not a benefit."
To be spending time trying to relearn how to navigate a system that I've worked so hard to optimize to my needs is beyond frustration.
-Wrike has a lot of positive features but the lack of end user customization isn't optimal especially considering this is a project management tool that should be malleable to the different needs of the different companies using it. Users need the option to revert to the view we prefer.
Pro's
- The reports are a little easier to access with the way they've been added to the side bar.
Huge thanks for your detailed feedback, folks, we really appreciate it.
I'll now pass it on to our Product team 👍
Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
I could not find a post that speaks to the update on the UI of the request forms; if someone has a link, please share. I will comment here for now.
I absolutely hate the change to the request form UI or request form view, whatever you'd like to call it. WHY would you change the UI to make me have to click every single individual question to see the automation and other things I have set up within that question? That is just poor user experience. There was nothing wrong with the original view.
I have a very large dynamic form that we use for all requests, and it is a HUGE PAIN to update this form now. I need to be able to see what is set up for every question at once and not have to toggle back and forth between questions to see what I had set up for that particular dynamic question.
Please change this so your user does not have to click each question individually to make changes and even see the information.
Like others have said, why are you changing things like this that had few to no complaints instead of all the MAJOR issues and BASIC functionalities people have been requesting for years??
We appreciate your detailed feedback Nicole S. I've already shared it with our Product team.
If there's anything else I can help you with, do let me know.
Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover
Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover