From the pictures, I can see that this is a step in the right direction, but I don’t believe it will be a game changer just yet. Many of the critical changes needed lie in other areas.
The legacy dashboard, while incredibly powerful under the hood, remains the least user-friendly dashboard I’ve ever encountered. I’ve managed to create some impressive customizations with CSS, and most of the necessary features for a great dashboard are already present. However, relying on CSS is not practical, especially for beginners. A well-designed property panel that applies the necessary CSS internally—without requiring users to deal with code or tile numbers—could address most criticisms. Adding a genuinely functional drag-and-drop feature would also be a major improvement.
The Rule Machine also needs a revamped interface for rule creation and editing. While recent updates to rule presentation are excellent, the process of building and maintaining rules is still cumbersome and unintuitive. This is where new users may become frustrated and eventually turn to other systems. I would advise against replicating visual rule builders like Homey’s, which have their limitations. Instead, consider the progress Home Assistant has made in making automations more user-friendly—it could serve as inspiration.
Another significant improvement would be implementing collapsible lists with robust filtering options, similar to Home Assistant. For users with many devices, rules, and automations, this would make navigation much more manageable.
It’s important to remember that while geeks and tech enthusiasts are drawn to the system’s underlying power, the real challenge is to attract and retain users who are less technically inclined. These users want something intuitive, akin to Apple Home or similar platforms. Home Assistant is becoming increasingly user-friendly but still struggles with the complexity of YAML and other technical barriers. Homey has an excellent interface but suffers from reliability issues. Hubitat has the technical power, but it lacks a modern interface and comprehensive support for European users, including Thread radio compatibility.
I genuinely hope to see continued progress from Hubitat and that one day the system fulfills these wishes. If that happens, I would seriously consider returning. The potential is undoubtedly there, and I truly believe in the possibilities.
Wishing you all the best in your development journey!
News and Updates / Release Notes - Hubitat
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Will it be possible to turn on and off items shown below later instead of opening a new page to do so? I love the constant intelligent changes. Thank you.
