You know… this is something I live to think about. As a long time SU user and designer of other (not SketchUp) UIs, I play this through in my head often.
One of the great strengths of SU is that it is easy to use. Easy to pick up and easy to start making models with. In fact, it is deceptively simple. People often see the UI and assume that what they want to make cannot be done because there is no ribbon or two dozen collapsible tab bars.
Now I am not afraid of change, in fact I love when things get stirred up! The challenge I always come back to us this: If one were to change the SketchUp user interface, what would change and how would you do so while keeping the core simplicity of SketchUp at the same time?
Again, not saying it should not change, but how do you change it so that it is still simple for a total newbie to wander in and be modeling after a few minutes of intro videos? Love to hear your thoughts!!
Honestly, a good UI isn’t for one generation vs another. And as an aging fart myself, I totally understand getting used to tools, even if they aren’t always optimized. Look, I use SketchUp professionally, every single day, and have for years. I’m not an architect, but I use it as a tool in my art and work, so it’s a part of my software workflow.
A good UI can evolve and adapt so that all parties benefit, from 12 year old one hand typists to old farts. It’s about making things more intuitive, more cohesive. It’s about communicating efficiently and making things easier for the end user. Sometimes it’s very small things, like the shape and contrast of an icon, and sometimes it’s where and how information is displayed.
SketchUp has a decent interface, and I have learned to use it efficiently with — ironically — less of the UI shown as possible (lots of keyboard shortcuts). But I’m swapping artwork between apps regularly, and there’s a stark difference in UI usability between SketchUp and say, and Adobe App. NOT saying Adobe is the best example, but they manage to keep things moving in the right direction with UI/UX while still appealing to the crowd who’s used it for decades. I think SketchUp can still do the same, as it FEELS like the effort put in to the UI/UX has been minimal at best, which is what the original poster said. Cheers!
I’d love to see a UI update into something that at least looks like it was designed this millennium. I’d not be hoping for a major overhaul, just some visual and interface efficiency tweaks. I think Adobe InDesign is relatively good but does offer a grey mode, something which is desperately needed. In fact, if SU went down the Rhino route, where you can tweak almost everything but it retains most of it’s basic UI form, this would be a huge benefit. But nothing like Revit or AutoCAD thanks…as it stands, SU’s Ui is frankly a little embarrassing. I’m convinced the lack of UI development and its 1997-level appearance only serves to add to the myth that SU is an archaic hobby tool. It just doesn’t look ‘Pro’ or Architecture’ at all, even to clients who don’t know software.
I can but hope, but which I know (knowing Trimble from) is utterly pointless…regularly updated development road map anyone?
My concern with the UI is the palettes on Mac that cannot be kept organized. When people talk about UI, I think they look at organization of the work space that is consistent and, well, organized. Many examples can be found in professional software on any platform. Simply because you can’t please everyone does not mean it cannot be discussed or a direction for improvement found.
This clay tablet sucks, but hey you can’t please everyone, so don’t bother.
So, basically graphical tweaks… I dont think we actually need (or want) a ribbon or intelligent context-based tools. (though pop out tool icons would be very handy!) . I do like Adobe’s approach of having “workspaces” that can be customised and saved, so if you change your modelling style,you can change your interface - i’d have one for detailed modelling, and a different interface for presenting at client meetings/workshops.
Extensions are a big part of the interface… some of them are totally lacking in any sort of style or design.
Perhaps Trimble could create a kitset of icons and menus for SketchUp so that Extension developers can adopt them as a template for a “default” looking (and skinable) style. A bit like “stylebuilder for extensions.”
