How could Xero improve the homepage?

Old dashboad is neat and clean and easy to use. The new one is too much crowded, it distracts and makes headache.

The new layout is too busy, too cluttered and as with most new Xero developments of late, forced upon users while removing cleaner, easier reporting and screen layouts.

For one Xero instance we have 11 "bank" accounts so this new layout is like a data headache and very painful to navigate. I also don't want the latent advertising for marketplace apps either at the bottom (thankfully you can hide this).

Whomever did the UX design for Xero is either adding a lot of white space, or a lot of data, rather than keeping things consistent and allowing for the fact most of us are using one screen. There should be smaller fonts, better relationships between headings, data, icons and buttons. From an accessibility point of view it is incredibly difficult to navigate.

Also, why are we being pushed with screen space eaten up with Analytics banners at the top of the dashboard that nobody wants? Again, this should be removed as it eats up screen space if you have already said you are not interested.

With this wave of disapproval, you must let users keep the old layout while these issues are addressed.

The fact this is changing over on the weekend is extremely sad, not once has Xero listened to the customers and what they need / what to work effectively and efficiently.

The lack of care for your customers will see a massive drop to your business. I will be in discussion to move away from Xero.

Please do better and listen to what people need, it just shows that Xero want to force it down out throat regardless of feedback provided.

Heartfelt concerns from Xero power users - with constructive responses, only to be met with these robotic soul-less responses.
Deeply disturbed by Xero's ZERO action.
13 years and counting down.

How frustrating to watch three months of complains and concerns roll in on this thread with no response till now only to get a response that still shows a clear lack of understanding what their clientele needs and wants. These don't sound like fixes by any means with the usability because they're still running around trying to figure out the cosmetics of the new homepage when the cosmetics AND functionality of the old homepage was perfectly fine. The fact that I see many people in this and other homepage threads saying they are taking their business elsewhere over this shows the lack of trust xero is building with their client base. What a disappointing response. My recommendation is at the very least take the new homepage "look" and have it more laid out like the old homepage, similar sizes and spacing. Easy fix to the visual issues that people are having and then you can get down to the other details causing issues like the moving of the drafts to a less visible place and the bugs and glitches occurring with this new setup.

Workarounds for the new update aren't welcome. I don't want to be constantly customising my homepage when the current one suits my needs. Please start listening to customers.

Part of the issue for me is the responsive nature of the widgets. This causes them to shuffle around the screen as I switch from laptop screen to 2nd monitor, meaning I never fully learn where to look for anything.

I would like the ability to set a maximum width (or cap it at 3 columns), so that I can prevent the constant reshuffling.

Also, as I switch from company to company, the layout changes (because each company dashboard is customized) which compounds the problem.

With the previous dashboard, I was able to arrange all companies in the same way and have my bank accounts (which are variable by company) flow down the screen rather than spill horizontally displacing everything else.

My suggestion is to offer the old homepage to users because it appears that there's a substantial amount of feedback that reflects disapproval of the new homepage.

We continue to be surprised by Xero’s lack of awareness of how ineffective this Homepage update is and how negatively it impacts users. The product deficiencies are obvious - as are the process failures that led here - again - remember “new invoicing”!.

It’s staggering that a company with a NZ$25MILLION-a-year CEO, 4,500 employees, and ever-increasing subscription fees delivers changes with no functional benefit - then relies on what amounts to a free focus group provided by paying customers, to identify the most basic flaws.

Xero appears to value customers primarily as recurring revenue, taking advantage of the fact that many feel locked in. On principle, we’re working on moving away from Xero.

There are solid alternatives. For businesses needing more than accounting software, Odoo is worth considering. If you’re concerned about data lock-in, Control-C is a great tool which can fully back up your Xero data, including attachments, notes and history.

Given the lack of response to concerns raised here, beyond gaslighting and vague intentions, leaving a Trustpilot review may be more effective to get Xero’s attention.

Can I suggest LEAVE THE OPTION TO KEEP the original homepage as an ongoing option - so users can choose what works best for them!!

Forcing everyone to move over to a new design that DOES NOT WORK is not best business practice!

As per you response on resizing widgets - "(The resizing will work in the same way as what has been provided with the Cash in and out, and Chart of accounts watch list widget.)" PLEASE DONT! That is not resizing - you have large or xx large.
You need to have it that the widget box can just be dragged to whatever size we require. Similar to eg. attachment in bills - you can drag the box bigger and zoom in/out. Since we can already do this, I am sure you would be able to use the same function for the widgets. And make the widgets the same - say all squares.
I spent a while with a Xero case rep trying to help me out with the homepage, as now a lot of confidential info was on display. Trying to work out squares vs rectangles was a drama. Trying to work out where to move everything, some boxes square some rectangle. I didnt realise I was OCD until now!
I ended up having to add to the homepage, unused bank accounts or make new blank bank accounts to fill up the top section and have my widgets that I use down the bottom. So now I have to scroll down to see the widgets I need. Pretty silly, but it is the only way to have a homepage and be able to hide info.

Just love the in-development update. To summarise, "We've recieved an incredible amount of pushback so we're going to bring it up to a minimum standard of userbility, but not before we force everyone to see bad our first attempt was. Of all Xero's issues (and there are many), not knowing their customer is the biggest by far. They are just totally clueless.

Please keep the existing homepage layout.

I too am looking for another option. In case you didn't realize how bad this is Xero, it takes a lot to move 33 clients to a new platform but we have started the process unless something changes pretty quick we will find a solution and move them all.

It would be a big improvement if you could enable more white space on the page. ie. allow. have column presents. ie. sort widgets into 2x column or 3x column. this will enable people who prefer the original simple layout to keep a more linear less cluttered 2 column layout. while anyone who likes more options can increase the columns.

Can I suggest the original homepage remain as an ongoing option - so users can choose what works best for them.

Cosmetic changes are unnecessary when we already have the option to move things around. This "simplified" home page is horrible.

I'm going to say this. Should this "new" home page become permanent, we will most likely be moving away from Xero. Have already looked into alternatives that will suit our needs. This will essentially be the equivalent of losing 20 accounts. That's how bad it is. I am willing to move 20 clients to a different software, rather than deal with this new home page.

The ongoing negative feedback you are receiving clearly shows that everything about this new home page is wrong. There are multiple issues here not just one. Landing on the new home page is like working at a cluttered, messy desk. It feels like sensitive information is plastered across a billboard for everyone to see. You would not want to step away from your desk with your homepage open…..Xero you can’t be serious.. This is nowhere near an improvement. Leave the old home page as it was…It worked just fine.

Thanks for the extra info @Chris - sounds interesting!