If I’m asking this question, you can probably guess my personal opinion: I think Baserow’s UI is one of the biggest barriers to its adoption. In fact, I’m surprised this isn’t a more central topic and that no one here is really complaining about it.
But if we compare Baserow to major no-code tools like Notion, Airtable, etc., I believe there’s significant UX/UI work to be done on the navigation bar and the various landing pages to eliminate all the friction that arises during intensive use of Baserow.
I’ve created an issue on GitHub with a list of detailed proposals. If you agree with me, please support this post and this issue! This topic deserves to be highlighted and discussed.
opened 10:25AM - 14 Feb 26 UTC
## Problem Statement
The sidebar navigation and workspace organization in Baser… ow present several usability issues that affect user experience and feature discoverability.
## Current Issues
### 1. Sidebar Navigation
**Small UI Elements**
- Sidebar items are too compact, reducing readability and navigation efficiency
**Unclear Navigation Pattern**
- Database, Automation, and Application items appear clickable as pages but function as dropdown menus
- This creates confusion with incorrect user expectations
**Poor Discoverability of Creation Actions**
- "New table," "New workflow," and "New application" buttons are buried in the tree structure
- Users must expand sections to discover how to create new items
**Missing Global Creation Actions**
- Creating new databases, automations, or applications is only possible from the home page
- No persistent access to these fundamental actions while working in the application
### 2. Home Page
**Lack of Clear Organization**
- No visual separation between Databases, Automations, and Applications
- Mixed presentation creates confusion
**Suboptimal Layout**
- Current list view is less engaging than a card-based layout
- Platforms like Airtable demonstrate the superiority of card views
**Inverted Information Hierarchy**
- Templates and resources appear above user's actual work
- Prioritizes secondary content over primary content
## Proposed Solutions
### Reference Model: Notion
The proposed improvements align with **Notion's sidebar implementation**, which solves all identified issues:
**Notion's Strengths**
- Clear visual hierarchy with adequately-sized elements
- Chevrons clearly indicating expandable sections
- **Two-tier creation system**:
- Global "+" button in sidebar header for top-level items
- Inline "+" buttons on hover for sub-elements
- Dedicated pages for each element with overview of sub-items
- Smart hover states revealing contextual actions
The goal isn't to copy Notion, but to **adapt these successful navigation patterns** to Baserow's specific context.
### 1. Redesigned Sidebar
**Improved Visual Hierarchy**
- Increase element size for better readability and clickability
- Clear visual indicators (chevrons) for expandable sections
**Dedicated Landing Pages**
- Create dedicated pages for each Database, Automation, and Application
- Display tables/workflows/pages as cards on these pages
- Clear overview before diving into specific items
**Enhanced Creation Actions for Sub-elements**
- "+" buttons directly next to each Database, Automation, and Application title in the sidebar
- Allow creating sub-elements within their respective parent
- Visible without requiring tree expansion
- Examples:
- "My Database" [+] ← creates a new table within "My Database"
- "My Automation" [+] ← creates a new workflow within "My Automation"
- "My Application" [+] ← creates a new page within "My Application"
**Global Creation Button in Sidebar**
- Add a "+" or "Create" button in the sidebar header (top area, always visible)
- Accessible from anywhere in the application
- Opens dropdown/modal with options to create top-level items only:
- Create new Database
- Create new Automation
- Create new Application
**Clear Separation of Concerns**
- "+" button at top of sidebar = create workspace items (Database, Automation, Application)
- "+" buttons next to each item = create sub-elements (Tables, Workflows, Pages)
- Two-tier system matching logical hierarchy
### 2. Improved Home Page
**Clear Sectioning**
- Separate Databases, Automations, and Applications into distinct sections
- Visual dividers or tabs creating clear boundaries
**Card-Based Layout**
- Card view similar to Airtable
- Each card displays:
- Name and icon
- Brief description or metadata
- Last modified date
- Quick action buttons (open, duplicate, delete)
- Toggle between card and list views
**Proper Content Hierarchy**
- Move Templates and Resources below user's workspace content
- Prioritize "My Work" or "Recent" sections at the top
- Make active projects the focal point
## Expected Benefits
- **Improved Discoverability**: Critical actions accessible at the appropriate hierarchy level
- **Reduced Friction**: Creation possible from anywhere without navigating back to home page
- **Eliminated Confusion**: Clear distinction between navigation items and expandable menus
- **Better Organization**: Dedicated pages providing context and overview
- **Enhanced Usability**: Larger touch targets and clear visual hierarchy
- **Intuitive Hierarchy**: Creation system matching logical structure workspace → items → sub-items
- **Modern UX**: Card-based layouts aligned with contemporary design patterns
- **Increased Productivity**: Persistent access to creation actions reducing unnecessary navigation
## Incremental Implementation
This redesign can be implemented progressively:
1. Global creation button in sidebar header (highest impact)
2. "+" buttons next to sidebar items
3. Improved sidebar sizing and visual indicators
4. Dedicated landing pages for each section
5. Home page redesign with proper hierarchy and card views
Hey @bastien , thanks for sharing your feedback. We have many UI improvements in the backlog, and we’re doing our best to roll them out as quickly as possible. We recently redesigned the side panel, so I’m not sure if any major UX changes are planned for the near future, but I’ll double-check.
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Hey @bastien ,
There are a few things related to your request coming soon:
Favorites
Account-wide level overview (improved homepage)
As for creating a database/application—it’s already possible, as you can always see the plus buttons next to the corresponding blocks:
For the rest, we can’t say for sure for now. But we’ll keep your suggestions in mind and monitor whether similar requests come up from other users.
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Yes, those action buttons are indeed available—that was a mistake on my part—but what I meant was this strange inconsistency: having a large, very handy button on the home page to create anything, only to not see it again afterward, even though it’s actually there at the very bottom of the navigation bar under “Add New.” It just needs to be made more visible and obvious.
My main criticism of this navigation bar is its lack of clarity, readability, and fluidity… in my opinion, it needs a complete overhaul. I’m using Notion’s navigation bar as an example because it’s very effective.
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