If you've opened up CiviCRM and think, “Where do I go to find that?” you are not alone.
In recent user feedback, people told us:
The interface is dated compared to other CRM products.
The menu is a bit intense.
Fairly complex config and menu structure, not easy to manage.
We have heard variations of this feedback for years. CiviCRM’s depth is one of its strengths, but nonprofit staff are focused first on serving people, raising funds, running events, and keeping programs moving. They need a system that makes those everyday tasks easier and more intuitive.
That is why we are launching the Lighthouse Navigation Make It Happen campaign: a phased effort to redesign one of CiviCRM’s most heavily used areas and introduce a unified global search.
The project will be led by Ben Walpole of the CiviCRM Core Team, who will serve as its primary developer and engineering lead.
Put simply, we know the menu is a high-touch area that needs a redesign. Now building on the success of the new RiverLea theme framework, we want to focus on the menu next.
The Lighthouse Navigation Roadmap
- Unified global search: Find contacts, contributions, memberships, and other records in one place.
- Simpler staff experience: Role-based menus and a reorganized interface reduce clutter and make everyday tools easier to find.
- Faster everyday work: Quickly create and manage records.
- In-app help: Connect users to DocBot, documentation, CiviAcademy and partner support to encourage more community participation.
- Continuous feedback loop: Voluntarily share issue feedback to CiviCRM Core Team and see relevant product updates.
- Developer-friendly framework: Make navigation easier to extend, configure, and customize for specific use cases. e.g. mobile menu for canvassing.
Support the Effort
The roadmap is organized into two major phases, delivered through five staged milestones. Phase 1 establishes the direction and a usable public beta extension you can install. Phase 2 builds on that foundation as funding allows.
Improvements like this won't happen without community support; it takes organizations and end users that rely on CiviCRM to invest in its future. Now is the time to have a hand in making it better for everyone.
Will you or your organization invest in a better CiviCRM experience?
Andy Burns
MIH Campaign Lead
P.S. Want to contribute feedback, testing, or development support? Join us in the User Interface channel on Mattermost.
Make It Happen campaigns exist at that intersection of community and product; they’re an opportunity for the community to get engaged and prioritize improvements for CiviCRM. They are open to everyone and enable the community to help shoulder the cost of development. Many of the great features currently in CiviCRM were the product of Make It Happen campaigns.
