Exciting news: New workflow tab to become default experience

[randomanon]

@kate.mcnally

You can expand and collapse all folders, similar to the behavior in the Elements tree with groups.

OK, but why do I need to click on a 4px chevron to open/collapse a folder instead of just clicking on the label? This is the most bizarre UX decision I have ever come across in a software product (not exaggerating).

@Jett

Still only very few colors.

More importantly, you can barely distinguish them, they are very low contrast against the white backdrop.

[Frinet]

I’m deeply disappointed with the direction Bubble has taken over the past couple of years.

Instead of making truly valuable features available to everyone — like the long-promised new mobile app editor or meaningful AI-assisted app editing — Bubble keeps endlessly redesigning the interface without actually adding new functionality.

I’ve been working with Bubble for 5 years. I got used to the horizontal workflows, and now I’m forced to relearn everything — and yet basic features like loops or graphic IF conditions are still missing.

In the last two years, there have been no meaningful updates. There was a lot of hype around AI, but after two years all I can do is generate one of eight basic page types — something that could have easily been added as simple templates, without any AI.
Meanwhile, if you insert a link to Bubble somewhere, you’ll proudly see “AI-powered” stamped on it.

Stop endlessly changing the UI, especially forcing those changes on users. Start delivering the new features you’ve been promising for years.

[Zeroic]

I have been building on Bubble for close to 5 years now, and this was an unecessary update, given that there are lots of other pressing issues. I understand that this is paving the way to enable new operations (looping, branching, parallel and series processing etc), but the new editor being mandatory without enabling the said operations seems weird

I appreciate the direction the team is moving in, and I’m pretty sure the community would have switched voluntarily, had the communication been better and the benefits, visible. The entire reason why the new (design) responsive editor was a success was because:

1. We had the option to switch between both versions without being forced to either one;
2. The new editor had significant improvements
3. Cut-off dates were clearly mentioned within the app editor where all users spend their time, and not the Forum, or their email

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This falls out in multiple areas of UX too, as highlighted by a lot of people here, and needed much more in QA before being a mandatory launch:

1. Recognition rather than recall: Need to make an effort to understand the new patterns, which would have been fine if Bubble was a new startup, but people have been seriously building on this platform for a long time now and are accustomed to the old one, plus, didn’t have any complaints since everything was working

2. Flexibility and efficiency of use:
   – The delete shortcuts don’t work;
   – Copy and pasting actions into a newly created event is broken;
   – A lot of unnecessary scrolling and multiple clicks to achieve something straightforward;

3. Consistency and Standards
   – Seems to be missing when they brought about the renaming of the Do when, Do every x seconds events (different on the event view, and different on the actions canvas)
   – Smaller icons, right-click menu having a different UI experience than the right-click menus in the Design or Data tabs

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There’s this narrative going around that if one were in the habit of naming workflows, using folders etc, they wouldn’t be finding an issue with the update.

I get their POV but this isn’t the case since I’ve been doing this for a while, and still prefer the old editor. This argument that people don’t use accepted and correct practices was fair when the WU pricing was launched, but misses the point here. The above issues being called out cannot be fixed by following best practices.

My initial feedback was negative, but I’m trying to be open to understanding the move. I just hope the engineers now don’t move to something else, what they’re traditionally known for, but actually listen to the feedback, fix the issues and make this reach a point where it becomes usable and scalable

[dodo]

@akio.imaike

With the old workflow tab, development felt incredibly fluid and efficient. The only real limitations were often network speed or local machine lag. We could map out actions almost instantaneously, sometimes even faster than the interface could load – it was a remarkably comfortable and productive environment.

So true.

[todayweescape93]

Hey. Please bring back the ability to use the old view. Yes, it’s not perfect, but the new design doesn’t carry any improvements.

[epifanovartem]

Im with bubble for almost 5 yars! And this worst update from bubble team in 5 years! Common, back old workflow for us! Make a choice for us: old or new! For many developers this new - its horrible workflow now! Why u delete this choice from us???
This new workflow 1/10

[senecadatabase]

@mitchbaylis

having said that Bubble has a lot of technical debt to struggle through so I do empathize with their situation.

This was one of my first thoughts when I read some of the comments…not about Bubble though, but on the user’s end.

I would guess there are a lot of Bubble Apps that are bloated, taped, paper-clipped, and hot-glued together to where they’re now just a hot mess.

Any change from Bubble could throw their whole app into chaos.

Not saying this is always the case in this situation, but I would bet it’s the case in a lot of these situations.

I agree there are some problems that need to be fixed, and I think that’s probably on Bubble’s part and also on the app builder’s part.

I’ve never been paid to work on a Bubble App. I wouldn’t anyway because I don’t have the experience. But, I have built a ton of apps and edited a ton over the last 10 years (not Bubble Apps), and know it’s easy for an app to get bloated and out of control.

I’m positive about the changes because it’s the beginning of other changes that will modernize the whole workflow area.

[dodo]

For anyone missing the old Bubble workflow editor just a little reminder of when things were clear and easy to use. Simpler times, fewer clicks, less crying.

[po_scc]

Thanks for this. What about the time delay in going from editor to workflows? There’s suddenly this long wait, when it used to be instant. Huge killer for productivity, that is certainly the most important for me to be sorted, and I’m sure for many others.

[gamenpress]

nobody want or asked for this BS, we all hate it…go back please. you are ruining a lot of business and customers will leave bubble. Why would you guys force this on to people it is a terrible business decision

[epifanovartem]

OMG! Its worst update in bubble in 3 years!!!
PLEASE COME BACK OLD BACKEND!!!

[fede.bubble]

I helped a user in this other thread create a poll. Sharing in case you want to vote!

Poll: Do you approve the new Workflow editor?

Here, you can host it in the forum as well: Do you approve of the new WF editor? poll

[emir.ozgun]

Hey guys, now I have seen more than 10 unique person reporting delays and crashes with the new editor. I have the same issue from day one. For 5 days you have collected data with crashing or delayed wf editors which disrupted the data. How do you intend to keep this data sterile ? 5 more days ? @fede.bubble @kate.mcnally

[austin3]

I’ve been using this for about a week now, and there’s some serious UX problems. Apologies if some of these have been covered previously, but there’s 353 messages in this thread, too many to go through.

1. Text is just too small, and in some places too light. The size of the text previously made looking at what things did in a glance easy, but now you have to focus. A UI with a lot of workflows should be easily scannable.
2. Conditions being cut off is irritating, and requires you to click into an element to compare quickly
3. Because of the new spacing, comparing workflows is now harder, as it requires more scrolling. This is especially true if the workflows are across folders, because there’s no way to see the list of workflows alphabetized without folders, as was default previously.
4. The “Uncategorized” folder keeps opening by default whenever I switch to the backend workflows page, even after I close it. This is super irritating.
5. Honestly, I much preferred the block layout. Even using the grid layout option, it just feels overwhelming on pages with lots of workflows. I think this is a sizing issue more than anything, but it also has to do with the width vs height ratios.
6. Having to use the context menu to change folders and colors is a big pain. When I create a new workflow, the first thing I do is set the folder and sometimes color. This just adds extra clicks and mouse movement. Please return them to the workflow pane, or at least give us the option.
7. The colors are too muted and limited in place. One of the things I liked about them previously was they made workflows easily identifiable. Please make them stand out more, have them color more of the workflow tab, and include them in the workflow editor pane as well.
8. There’s still no indication that a workflow or action has notes. Please highlight the “View notes” button, and ideally add an icon or some other indicator in both the workflow list and workflow editor panes. Even better, have a way to have the first part of a note automatically show if it has one, with the option to click into it to read the full note.
9. Copying a backend workflow only copies the actions, not the info for the event. This means that things like the name, folder, color, paramaters, conditons,and options aren’t copied and have to be redone. Super annoying.
10. If you’re going to have the workflow editor tab be vertical (which tbh is growing on me), then you need to make the editor pane small and the workflow overview pane large by default. In fact, I have the workflow overview pane expanded to the right the maximum amount, and tbh I don’t think it’s enough. I’d also make grid view the default, as it saves on so much scrolling.

Screenshot for #10:

Overall there are two common themes that make the new editor a worse experience than the old one for power builders:

1. It’s worse for identifying and comparing workflows, especially at a quick glance. It may present all the information you need, but it takes longer to get it.
2. It’s worse for copying and modifying existing workflows quickly, especially across folders.

In essence, while the new UI is cleaner, it’s less efficient, and thus needs some serious work.

EDIT: Added suggestion #10

[Jici]

@austin3

Conditions being cut off is irritating, and requires you to click into an element to compare quickly

You can hover instead of clicking

[dee]

@akio.imaike

Therefore, I need to ask for clarity. If the possibility of reverting to the previous workflow tab design is completely off the table, please state this clearly and definitively. This change, as it stands, will likely double the time required for development, directly impacting project costs and timelines. This forces us to seriously consider alternative development platforms and methodologies, a step I would be reluctant to take given my history with Bubble.

This!

[code-escapee]

@mitchbaylis

Some things I do like:

• Triggered from
• Drag and drop of workflow steps is less buggy than before
• Event type filter

Yes, I like these too, ESPECIALLY the “triggered from”. But to echo your point, those changes should have and could have easily been made in the old workflow tab.

[boston85719]

Is there any timeline for loops or branching? I feel that if the new WF were released at the time looping and branching were released, maybe the excitement around those features would have severely lessened the blow of having to adjust to new editor.

[randomanon]

@austin3

Text is just too small, and in some places too light.

The contrast ratio is literally illegal. Not sure if I should email their Head of Compliance or if they’re gonna fix it on their own. Still deciding.

[javier6]

Thank you for the update, one thing which I’ve noticed is becoming a fairly large blocker is that keyboard shortcuts like ctrl c/v don’t work half the time and actions such as ctrl x to cut an action end up crashing WF builder page entirely