Erpnext 16 Beta Version – Navigation Between Modules Feels Confusing

[francis1]

thats great great keep it up team

[jcastillo30]

UI / UX Improvement Proposal – Navigation in Frappe v16

Problem

The current navigation flow in Frappe introduces unnecessary friction and excessive clicks, especially for users who work across multiple modules daily.

At the moment:

• Switching between apps or modules requires going back to the Desktop.
• App icons are only visible in the Desktop and become hidden once inside a module.
• To access Workspaces or Desktop from within a module, the user must:
  1. Open the module dropdown
  2. Click Desktop or Workspace
  3. Then re-select the target module

This breaks the user’s workflow and creates constant context switching.

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Goal

Provide a more fluid and efficient navigation experience by minimizing clicks, reducing context changes, and keeping frequently used actions always accessible.

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Proposed Improvements

1. Persistent Global App / Module Switcher

• Add a global, always-visible app/module selector (e.g. in the sidebar).
• Users should be able to switch apps without returning to the Desktop.
• This would act as a persistent “App Switcher”.

2. Global Pinning of Documents and Workspaces

• Allow users to pin documents and workspaces globally, not only within the current module.
• Example pinned items:
  • Sales Invoice
  • Purchase Invoice
  • Journal Entry
  • Assets
• These pinned items should remain accessible regardless of the active app.

3. Cross-Module Pins

• A pinned document should be reachable from any module.
• This is especially important for operational users (accounting, sales, purchasing) who work transversally across apps.

4. Reduce Desktop Dependency

• The Desktop should be an optional overview, not a required navigation step.
• Core navigation should be solvable directly from the sidebar.

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Benefits

• Fewer clicks and less friction
• Faster daily operations
• Improved focus and reduced context switching
• Better UX for power users
• More modern ERP navigation pattern

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Summary

The goal is to allow users to navigate across apps, documents, and workspaces without leaving their current context, making Frappe feel faster, more intuitive, and better suited for high-frequency operational workflows.

Support this UX improvement

If you think Frappe needs faster navigation, fewer clicks, and a better cross-module workflow, please support this proposal by reacting and commenting on the issue:

https://github.com/frappe/frappe/issues/34734

Community feedback and engagement really help prioritize features for future releases.

Thanks for supporting a smoother Frappe UX @Saqib_Ansari

[zerodiscount]

Please review - hopefully resolves the issue (for now)….

V16 UI - Slim Desk Navigator

# [Release] SlimDesk Navigator: Persistent Sidebar for v16 (Solve Context Switching Fatigue) Hi everyone, Like many of you testing the new v16 UI, I found myself getting “lost” when navigating between different modules. The new design is beautiful, but the constant need to click “Home” or “Desk” just to switch was getting confusing - I missed the structure and “anchor” of a persistent navigation sidebar. This has been a pain point for many… > “Navigation inefficiency… need to return to Desk…

[jcastillo30]

@jcastillo30

2. Global Pinning of Documents and Workspaces

• Allow users to pin documents and workspaces globally, not only within the current module.
• Example pinned items:
  • Sales Invoice
  • Purchase Invoice
  • Journal Entry
  • Assets
• These pinned items should remain accessible regardless of the active app.

3. Cross-Module Pins

• A pinned document should be reachable from any module.
• This is especially important for operational users (accounting, sales, purchasing) who work transversally across apps.

Thank you for your time and for considering these suggestions.