The editor could use horizontal space much more effectively

The ghost editor design has been bugging me since I started using it. I’ve got an ultra-wide monitor, but the same probably to normal wide-screen monitors. Basically, there’s a lot of horizontal space, and it’s not being utilised at all. Say I’m making a new post:

currentDesign

If I want to add a few tags, which I’m guessing will be done on almost every post anyone makes, or upload a post image, I have to click on the settings on the right. However, the settings slide-out menu obstructs the publish button, so I have to quit this menu to go back, to simply press the publish button.

Similarly, the useful nav menu on the left disappears if you’re doing something. Whenever you’re done, you have to completely change the view back to the ‘stories’ to then select what you actually want to do (create a new story etc).

There’s no good reason to hide these menus. There’s plenty of space, they’re used frequently that hiding them behind other components just means I’m constantly opening and closing them and it completley interupts workflow. On mobile, where horizontal space is limited - this design makes perfect sense. On any wide-screen monitor it’s frustrating. Simple to fix too! When the screen is wide, just show them:

betterDesign

Note, you can still update and publish with the settings menu open on the top right. Including the “Publish” button in the menu at the top would make a much more streamlined user experience.

I don’t agree with you. I have a imac 27 (5k resolution).
I want my text be constrained like it is right now.

Reading text that takes a lot of horizontal space is horrible. Our eyes need to jump from line to line quickly else it lose its focus.

Cheers!

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I’m not suggesting the text be less constrained (see second image, showing the suggestion. The text/content is the same width as the first image, showing how it is now) buy the menus at the left and right. With a wide-screen the text takes up about 25% of the screen, in the centre.

That means 75% of the screen is empty but the menus are still hidden.

Don’t change the text, its still constraines to 25% in the suggested improvement - just stop hiding UI elements that are frequently used when there’s plenty of space for them.

I agree text should be limited in width.

Oh I get your point now.

But as the UI is so simple, why would you clutter the space at the left and right?

Hiding frequently used things simply to make it look simple is bad user interface design.

It looks simple, but it’s not simple in terms of user interaction.

I was adding a bunch of posts, and I spent so long/had so many extra clicks opening and closing the side menu to change a setting, and update/publish, and going back and forward into another view just to use the “create post” or “create tab” option.

Hiding a setting behind a menu adds complexity.

It’s like hiding all the controls for an oven behind flaps - sure, it looks simpler in your kitchen but it doesn’t make it simpler to use.

Basically: asthetic simplicity should not come at the expense of user experience.

Also, you could still have the settings panel collapsible, like it is, just make it so it it doesn’t overlap/hide the publishing buttons - that alone would keep the simplicity and remove the need to keep popping it open and closed whenever you want to update/publish or change a setting.

I get your point.
Maybe a ‘show all’ toggle would make sens. But I doubt this would be likely be a priority the Ghost team.

This is not a bug - we have no plans to optimise Ghost for this type of usage. The vast majority of apps look terrible when running at maximum width on an ultra-wide monitor - which is neither what the apps, nor ultrawide monitors, were designed for :slight_smile:

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