A new version of WordPress is heading our way in a few weeks (or days)! WordPress 3.3 is now in the release candidate stage, meaning that all features are fully baked and is just going through some final checks to make sure everything works on launch day. I’ve been playing with the beta versions on ClickWP for some time now, and have found it to have increased my productivity. Here’s a quick overview of how WordPress 3.3 is going to improve your web publishing workflow.

Less Clutter, More Focus

The admin screens have been updated in WordPress 3.3, with a focus on streamlining the layout and reducing clutter. The first thing you’ll probably notice are the new Pointers, a new feature that is being introduced in this version.

Pointers function to highlight and explain new changes, like the redesigned Dashboard. Plugin authors can also take advantage of this feature to quickly walk you through important details and changes.

The next thing you’ll notice is the new Toolbar, which is a consolidation of the Admin bar and old header. Hovering over the toolbar items will reveal submenus, when available, for quick access.

Like the new Toolbar, the redesigned navigation also helps to reduce clutter by making use of flyout menus.

I took a day or two to adjust to having menus fly out whenever I moved my mouse over the left side of the screen, but now I love it because it hides all the additional submenus and reduces visual clutter in the admin screens. Continue Reading →