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Design
Sep
11
2008
Are Joomla Admin Templates Worthwhile?

Joomla Praise Admin TemplateIn one of a series of guest posts here on the Alledia blog, Kyle Ledbetter of Joomlapraise.com asks whether admin templates are worth the effort.

Over at JoomlaPraise we make Joomla templates and extensions and have recently released AdminPraise, an administrator template for Joomla 1.5 that falls somewhere between a template and extension.

However, the question we'd like to ask is ... do Joomla users want/need an alternate admin template?  The admin template system is obviously in place for this reason, but no one really uses it.  We've seen slight variations on the Khepri template, but that's about it.

Advantages

With AdminPraise (click here to see the demo), our aim has been to make the entire administrative process easier on novices and advanced users. These are the main advantages of AdminPraise over a the default theme:

  • Set Start Page: a link to choose which page you see when you login
  • Page Memory: If you're logged out, AdminPraise will remember which page you were going to visit
  • New Control Panel: All New Control Panel featuring accordion div and all new icons
  • iPhone Friendly: Alternate display optimized for iPhone Joomla Administration

Disadvantages

  • Tutorials: The design of a new alternate admin template is that it won't match all the help and tutorials that already exist.
  • Important Information: Some admin templates I've seen (although not AdminPraise) strip out lots of information that could be useful to administrators, including the Joomla version and even the Joomla name itself.

Obligatory Commercial Bit

If you'd like to join JoomlaPraise to gain full access to all templates and extensions for a year, save 10% with the coupon: awesomeadmin.

Over to You ...

Are we barking up the wrong tree? Do Joomla users want/need an alternate admin template?

 

Comments  

 
#1 Ogy Nikolic 2008-09-11 09:24
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Are we barking up the wrong tree? Do Joomla users want/need an alternate admin template?


In our experience, all our clients that use an alternate admin template had their web site previously built by another Web Design company who hid the fact that the site was developed on Joomla CMS. Those web design companies also hid component versions and joomla version within the backend and clients never knew their joomla core or addons were outdated. Perhaps they sold this solution as their "custom CMS" :-) In all those cases, we recommended them to switch to default Joomla admin template, they gladly accepted and they seem to like it more.

In my opinion, it's a bad idea if you are supporting many Joomla sites like us. In those cases, you want to standardize, not customize too much. However, if you have some corporate high paying clients, I could see how it would be worth to customize the backend upon their request.
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#2 Joseph LeBlanc 2008-09-11 10:19
Some people also use this feature when they're using Joomla! as a base for a specific platform. This is sometimes the case when you're focusing on specific components rather than the general CMS features.
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#3 David Towers 2008-09-11 11:06
Nice post Kyle. I have to say that I tried out AdminPraise and was very impressed by the slickness of it all.

I just personally felt like there wasn't much point installing it though for the sites I manage. For my clients sites, on the whole I think that they are better off with the standard layout just because online tutorials and Joomla books deal with the standardised backend.

I would say however that if I had an Iphone I would change my sites over to AdminPraise just because it's nice to be able to edit the backend from a portable device.

Oh by the way another advantage I think you missed out in this post is the "history" buttons which is also a great addition you added in AdminPraise...

Perhaps you'd be better off adding in small customisations to the standard template (like the history and iphone access) rather than a fully fledged redesign.
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#4 Kyle Ledbetter 2008-09-11 12:37
@Ogy: You're right, we hate when people try to rebrand things like Joomla and Basecamp for their company, if they're the contractor. On the other hand, we've had to hack the admin template before to brand it for the company that already knew it was Joomla, and AdminPraise makes a this a tiny bit easier. We wouldn't try to change the admin template for all the customers we've already trained, but training new customers on AdminPraise is proving to be much easier. We're eating our own dogfood and when I use Khepri now, I really miss some features from AdminPraise.

@Joseph: for those customers that focus on a specific component, our "Set Start" feature will make that easier, so they go right to the component they use often, rather than you having to tell them "Go to Components > RSform...no, ignore Contacts, just go to RSform..." :-)

@David: we may consider a "lite" version where we add a few features to the standard template...good idea. I'd say, test drive it for a few days (I like the Goggles template and tango icons). You might really start to enjoy some of the features ;-)
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#5 AnotherGuy 2008-09-11 14:03
I've been using AdminPraise since it came out and have been a strong supporter of it on my blog as well. I love it in every way, but not just because it's different or slick. Here are my reasons for using it:

1. Easier navigation. I need something that allows me to quickly get from one place to another without hassle. Having the several different ways to get to the same place gives me options so that I can select the one I use most in any given situation. In my blog site, I remove all navigation menus except the one that is easiest to use for getting to article management. In sites where I need to use components (eg. photo galleries or e-commerce) I make sure the navigation that lets me find the components quickest is visible.

2. My clients need help. Let's face it, not all of our clients are web-literate enough to be able to use the back-end Joomla! khepri interface very easily. It's a bit clunky, and nothing really sticks out as "Click this to do this!" sort of commands. With AdminPraise there are HUGE buttons that tell the user what to do. And there are plenty of ways for people to get to someplace. So, if they get lost, they can find their way back.

Especially with the new "Set Start" feature.

3. Sure, tutorials will be different, but anyone struggling with the tutorials is probably smart enough to be able to use the default khepri template, get used to the commands and flow, and then switch back if they like AdminPraise better.

4. iPhone. My boss uses his iPhone for a lot of things, and the fact that this template works with the iPhone so well is a huge selling point to try and get him to let me use Joomla! much more often at the office for various client work.

5. It makes my company look that much more professional. If our client says they like the style of Office, or hints their favorite color is blue, then we can switch to a different style that makes them happier. Going above the call (or seeming to go above) is what is needed to make clients come back for more.

I want this and need it. I was actually working on my own admin template for clients before you released this one. And now that you've made three other styles, it will be even easier for me to choose the one that works best for my client. You guys have done a great job with this (as I've said before) and I can't wait to see what else you do!
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#6 David Towers 2008-09-12 10:04
Interesting points AnotherGuy! Definitely seems like you're a convert then!
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#7 Dan Riefstahl 2008-09-12 15:09
I like it and would love it if more developers released admin templates. After all, we (desigers) work so hard to create/customize a great website and I would like to have the option to have an admin area that matches the site better. Sure I could customize the admin template to suit my needs but I usually don't want to bother with that extra work, unless the client asks for this. After all, they and myself are the only ones who sees this.
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#8 Brian Teeman 2008-09-13 02:55
Until very recently I was very against admin templates. All my experience of them in the real world came from observing site builders attempting to hide the origins of their work from their clients. The template added nothing to the user experience and in many cases reduced usability with poor icon choices etc. In addition as you highlight there are ongoing issues with support and training as the users site doesnt look anything like the one shown in all the availble tutorials and books.

So what changed to make me "undecided"? Its simple, the adminpraise template.

The training/documentation issue still exists but having used the teamplte on one site for the last few weeks I can definitely say that it is more than a "skin" it is a definite improve in usability and work process. After the first "shock" at the redesign Kyle produced, everything is in different places, I've been "shocked" at how much more productive I've been using this template.

Perhaps now is the time for an official Admin template competition so that users can be provided with a real choice of interface.

Now just to hope that the developers of CQI (extensions.joomla.org/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,463/Itemid,35/) provide a version for Joomla 1.5 and I can hide all the unused icons from the control panel and add the ones that my users use every day.
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#9 David Towers 2008-09-13 05:02
Interesting remarks Brian. It would indeed be interesting to see an official admin template competition.
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#10 Kyle Ledbetter 2008-09-13 16:03
@AnotherGuy & Dan: you guys are in the same mindset as us for sure, thanks for the kind words!
@Brian: an admin template contest would certainly introduce some innovation, great idea!
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Now just to hope that the developers of CQI provide a version for Joomla 1.5 and I can hide all the unused icons from the control panel and add the ones that my users use every day.

I love CQI and have used it on all 1.0 customer sites. I'd credit CQI for getting us started in thinking about customizing the admin. That gives me a great idea for a new feature ;-) btw, you can hide the unused icons in the AdminPraise template params.
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