How to Optimize the UX for Your Editors

Problem Statement

A Uniform project with hundreds of unorganized components, unlabeled fields, and catch-all compositions slows editors down. A few configuration tweaks make authoring dramatically faster.

Solution

1. Organize components into categories

Group components so editors can browse by purpose (e.g. Marketing, Lists, Structure) instead of scrolling one long list.

1. Go to Experience > Modeling > Components and select any component.

2. In the General tab, click Manage next to the Category field.

3. Add your categories, save, then assign each component to a category.

Organize your components. (watch on Vimeo)

2. Split work into focused compositions

Instead of one catch-all Page composition that allows every component, create a composition per job-to-be-done (landing page, article, campaign).

1. Go to Experience > Modeling > Components and select Composition in the type drop-down.

2. Duplicate an existing composition (e.g. Page → Landing page).

3. In the Slots tab, click a slot section and restrict the allowed components for this composition type.

4. Save and close.

Organize by compositions. (watch on Vimeo)

3. Add preview screenshots

Upload screenshots of your components to your image CDN or the Uniform Asset Library, then:

• Components/compositions: Experience > Modeling > Components > select one > General tab > paste the URL into Preview Image Url.

• Patterns: Experience > Component Patterns > select one > Gears icon > Properties > set Preview Image URL. A pattern inherits its component's preview image unless you override it here.

How to add screenshots to components and compositions. (watch on Vimeo)

4. Add help texts

• Content entries: Experience > Modeling > Content Types > select a content type > Fields tab > click a field > fill in Help Text.

• Components/compositions: Experience > Modeling > Components > select one > Parameters tab > click a parameter > fill in Help Text.

How to enable help texts on content entries (watch on Vimeo)

5. Group parameters and fields

Add groups with a couple of clicks, then drag-and-drop fields between them. Common group names: "Content", "Presentation", "Styling", "Call to actions".

A group can be collapsed by default to focus editors on what matters most:

This allows to focus the editors on the most important parameters, improve the discoverability of parameters on complex components and general ease of use:

6. Set the "Display name" option

Available on component parameters and entry fields — typically set it on the title or name field:

The value then appears as the display name across the visual workspace:

7. Set the "Use as thumbnail" option

Available on asset fields of content types:

Lists get visual cues, making entries much easier to find:

8. Hide read-only parameters on patterns

Enable Hide read-only parameters on a pattern to remove unchangeable parameters from the property panel, so authors only see what they can edit.

Patterns: hide read-only parameters