New UI/UX for OpenDental

[nwdentist]

Hi all,
Is anybody thinking or envisioning of updating the UI/UX of OpenDental to match the look of Windows 10 apps?!

Just my thoughts, as many have told me the software looks complicated (I call it sophisticated, and I quite like it).

I did some research on software design, and keep thinking how nice it'd be if recommendations like UWP (universal windows platform) and fluent design elements get applied in OpenDental?

I'm no engineer, and I have no idea what it takes or how much of work it is, just me thinking the software would 'look' awsome and shiney, if it resembled the design of Windows 10 apps.

Any thoughts?

[cmcgehee]

There has been more talk lately about updating Open Dental to have a more modern look. We expect that this project would talk a gargantuan amount of engineering time, so that is why we have not tackled it yet.

[dgraffeo]

Gargantuan is not an over-estimation. Some things that need to be thought about from an engineering and usability standpoint for each form we change: Is it easy to get to? Is it intuitive for the users? Is all previous functionality still there? If we have to change something, is it going to make things easier or harder for users?

Building a new application from the ground up would, in many respects, be far easier to do in the modern way of UI design than taking our current application and changing it. I would honestly love to update the UI but I don't think it is going to be done for quite some time.

[Justin Shafer]

Make it a Windows Store App!

[nwdentist]

Make it a Windows Store App!

Hey Justin,
What's your take on this issue? Open Dental as WUP app?
Open Dental on Microsoft Store; is it an so-out-of-tune thought? Would that be unnecessary?

[rajg]

I would rather have a web app. Then it would be OS agnostic to the desktop clients.

[Ardavan]

One benefit of being a windows store app is that it could run on "S" editions of windows. I haven't ventured inside Microsofts's walled garden so I can't say if the effort is worth it, especially given how frequently new builds of OD are released.

[Youltaithe]

Hi Sina,

I totally get where you're coming from! It's always nice to think about how software could benefit from a more modern, sleek design. The idea of applying UWP and Fluent Design elements to OpenDental is interesting. It could definitely make the user interface feel more intuitive and less overwhelming, especially for new users. A streamlined and visually appealing design can also enhance the overall experience.

However, as you mentioned, the software is quite complex, and updating the UI/UX might require significant time and effort. It could involve a complete redesign of various features, which could be a large undertaking, especially for a tool like OpenDental that has many functionalities. But, I think it could be a great long-term project to explore.

It's always important to balance aesthetics with functionality, so as long as the core features remain easy to access and use, a more modern UI could make OpenDental feel even more polished.

Would be interesting to see if the community or developers have any plans along these lines!

[laborspy]

I have done this exact thing. I wrote an entire interface for patients, self scheduling, etc. It grew over time and it is beautiful, but like others said was a very large undertaking. It completely took building another API on top of the existing Open Dental API to get the job done.

[jordansparks]

I suspect that post two rows up is spam. It had a link which I deleted. They restarted a conversation that's 7 years old and they sound like ChatGPT to me. I'm sooo close to just deleting it.