tl;dr; Do not confuse UI complexity for Domain complexity
Sorry, I am not buying the “skill issue” argument.
The UI suffering is just an unoptimised usage of brain bandwidth. I feel like I am spending brain capacity on finding UI elements, trying to reorder a column, finding a proper section instead of thinking about network entities.
Let’s take as an example Interface and Interface Lists. I want to create an Interface List with four Interfaces.
What I expect after using other non related software:
- Go to Interfaces tab
- Select each interface I need in a list using checkbox
- Click action “Group in list” or “Add to List”.
- Opens a modal with options.
- Select existing List
- Create new List
What it actually is:
There are 3 entities and TWO tabs:
- Interface - separate tab one
- Interface List - separate tab two
- Interface - Interface List mapping - table accessible by clicking an action Lists inside a Interface lists tab
So your actions should be following:
- Go to Interface Lists tab
- Click Lists action
- Click +New
- Fill the form
- Go back using action Close
- Click +New
- Fill the form adding one Interface to the Interface List
- Repeat 4 times
There are several clear problems here:
- It’s a wrapper around tables.
- There is an abstraction, but it adds more complication. Misplacement of elements. Actions switch/close tabs. Interface list tab represents a map, not a list itself
- Two places for actions - the top and right.
and so on. There is so much to unpack, but there is no point.
The solution
I hope for this MikroTik Devices Controller . But instead of making it in the basement, I would rather get the early feedback as fast as possible. Disclose it like “we may and will break your network” and let’s go.