Jump to content

7.1 is horrible right?

Recommended Posts

I do like 7.1 because it's more customizable in many ways with all the different color settings. It's also much cleaner to work with in my opinion. There is still a lot that needs to be fixed as it looks like it's meant to be fully customizable yet there are some very important options missing (like gallery blocks). I was hoping this isn't the final product but I saw that people were saying early access was in 2019. I really hope it's not the final product because then I'll have to go back to 7.0 and there is a lot I find annoying with 7.0. Anyone knows if it's going to get better?

Link to comment
  • Replies 41
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I'm working with a new 7.1 system after maybe thirty or more paid V7.0 (or earlier) site builds.

Not happy at all. Instead of listening to the design community and building more powerful, flexible, unique features they, instead, took current features and simplified them for newbie designers. The only improvement here will be to Squarespace's bottom line as they court young small business owners that don't (yet) see the value in hiring a web designer. These small business owners will invariably kludge together a website that will look like all of their competitors. 

I believe this is entirely the wrong direction for this web platform when they could have put brain power into improving the features while adding a way to abstract away confusing bits shown to these new designers. IE: Consumer mode, Professional mode

Link to comment

I DID NOT like 7.1 at first, but after using it for a couple of sites I wouldn't go back.

You find you can actually customise much more and any issues with Squarespace are getting sorted quickly.

Best of all it's easier for user / client to manager once it's complete.

I now love 7.1!

Link to comment

I like that the template model is being left behind. I never liked having countless templates all with different features. It really made no sense. So I like 7.1 for that reason.

But I just wish there were more of the normal methods for design. For example, if I want to change the background colour of a specific section to something that isn't part of the "colour palette", I have to go in and modify one of the colour options within the palette and then drill down into it, modify it, and then make sure that section is using that entire style option. Seems slow and kind of strangely difficult when all i want to do is change a single colour.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong or not seeing how to do it more easily? But If that's the case, I think that still is a design issue with 7.1

Link to comment

I really like 7.1. To me is perfect because I'm not a web designer and I can customize the pages and sections with different backgrounds and styles very easy with not coding. I didn't find any other CMS with this kind user-friendly-flexibility.

Link to comment
On 2/7/2020 at 7:37 AM, mego42 said:

I've been using Squarespace for years and just tried to start a site with 7.1 and I agree, it's awful. The lack of design customizability options is completely unusable for me. If they discontinue 7.0 without making major changes to 7.1 first I'll have to stop using the platform. 

Agreed. I've used this platform for years as well after having left Wordpress behind. I've evangelized for this platform. And now I'm embarrassed I did. I was excited about the possibilities of the next release building off of what 7.0 had gotten so right, I would never have guessed they were going to literally burn 7.0 to the ground before devolving the platform into some dollar store version of its former self. I really wanted to like 7.1, but as it stands, it's garbage. I never thought I'd have to go back to Wordpress again, but it looks like that's what'll happen at some point...unless there's a minor miracle.

Link to comment

So glad someone else thought this too. Ive been using Squarespace since v5, and I can't believe the amount of customization that has been stripped with the new version. They've certainly tried to make it idiot-proof, but it makes it a far less enticing platform to build on if you're an actual designer.

Link to comment

I have multiple Squarespace sites and I just pushed another organization to start using it only to discover the 7.1 change once I started their initial buildout.
It's deeply disappointing how unwieldy and broken this new system is. There are DUMB bugs (try to add a "portfolio" page and instead of being added the homepage resizes, create a dropdown container and clicking it causes the entire site to reset, etc) and silly freshman year of design school UX mistakes (why does it take 4+ clicks to actually edit a blog post?,  why are half of the site styles buried within the header settings?).  

This system feels like an alpha build and shouldn't be anywhere near the default selection for newcomers.  

Link to comment

7.0 is still here and its as good as it ever was, lots of template family choices, each unique in its own way. If 7.1 is not your cup of tea, no one is forcing you to drink it. Just stay with 7.0, and remember the reasons you chose it over other platforms. I am. I have no problem bringing people here from other hosting sites and putting them on a good looking 7.0 site. 

Link to comment

I have to agree with pretty much everything said in here. I've been using Squarespace since roughly 2012 and this is an appalling version of it. 

I've found with Squarespace down the years that the prices increase whilst you get less. 

Shoddy. And leaving for another platform. 

Link to comment

Agreed with everyone here!  I am currently working on 3 websites for clients, all using 7.1.  I had to make the decision to switch or not, but I could see that it would be easier for clients if I used 7.1 (I train them so they can easily make changes/edits in the future) and I figured it would eventually turn over from 7.0, so mine as well.

My main issues are that they are for sure giving the middle finger to all the designers who have helped them in the first place.  My clients only choose Squarespace because that was what I suggested to them, and with other companies like Showit starting to pop up - I am definitely thinking of switching.  I agree that they look like they are trying to cut out the middle man (us) which is fine, but honestly - the new version may be easier, but it is way less dynamic. I have had to look for CSS / HTML codes to do things that used to be a flick of the switch.  Additionally, many of my codes before don't work in the new platform, making it that much longer to do some of the most basic work.

I also am confused by getting rid of some of the awesome features they had before.  How can you get rid of Parralax?  I had a client (who knows nothing about websites) refer to that feature by pointing it out on a different Squarespace template.  I have found a code, but it makes all of the images blurry (she is a photographer so we can not have that!).  I do like the overall site animations that you can easily use; which made my client happy as it gave life to her site.  And cover pages - why would you get rid of a basic cover page?  Again, we made one with coding but unless you turn off every single page while designing on the back end - it will be public.  So my restaurant clients were already having people order items from the menu that they are not currently serving because it was easily found through google.

Finally, I have had some major problems with the backend not working at times.  Especially if you copy a page.  You can edit, but it wont save your work or it wont let you get back in to edit for hours.  It's really becoming a pain.  I understand they have to work bugs out, but if they couldn't handle this major of a change - then they should have let it be.

Thanks for letting me rant - it has been a challenge.  Luckily, my clients love the work but it honestly has taken me nearly double the time to create.

Link to comment

just tried to get 2 new sites going in 7.1, it's absolutely the worst, you basically can make 1 generic site with different organization. Wasted a couple hours messing round with it hoping that I just wasn't getting something but it wasn't the case.  Starting to develop on 7.0 now but considering a move to 3 4Shopify ( I would do it right away except that I am administering so many other sites on Squarspace it's going to be a pain in the ass.  

Dear Squarespace, allow a deeper level of customization so every site does not have to look like some losers pottery store from Brooklyn or Silverlake.

Link to comment

Look folks, as someone who owned a business tele-communications company for twenty five years and dealt with many manufacturers,  all with different lines of hardware and software,  I have to say something here.

If you don't like 7.1 then don't use it, stick with 7.0. Let me use  a car analogy.  You have bought and learned the ins and outs and love to drive a really nice luxury car from a particular line of cars. Then the dealer/manufacturer introduces a new line of cars but a bit more streamlined as far as controls, gadgets in it, and it has a smaller engine. Sounds like a really good car, and it is the latest model they make. You go there and test drive it, and then you realize you don't like it as well as  the one you have been driving.

 Are you going to tell the dealer  that you are never going to buy from them again?  Are you going to buy from a different car company when the line of cars you like and know are good cars,  are still there, with different models you could trade for?  An  Avenue for a York, or a Momentum for a Foster? 

This may be a silly analogy but does it make a good point?

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Squarespace Webinars

Free online sessions where you’ll learn the basics and refine your Squarespace skills.

Hire a Designer

Stand out online with the help of an experienced designer or developer.