At Instructure, we’re committed to ensuring that every tool we offer empowers users to work more efficiently, intuitively, and inclusively. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the Redesigned Impact Inline Editor, built from the ground up to enhance usability and accessibility for Impact Admins.
The Problem We Set Out to Solve
Our previous Inline Editor used by Impact admins was falling short on a few fronts. While the original Inline Editor made it possible for admins to create and edit content and monitors, it lacked full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, creating accessibility barriers for users and it was not as intuitive or quick for our admins as we had initially hoped.
We knew this needed to change.
What You'll Notice with the Redesigned Inline Editor
We believed that by redesigning the Inline Editor using InstUI—Instructure’s design and component library—and achieving full WCAG 2.2 AA conformance, as well as addressing some usability improvements, we could provide our Impact Admins with a better experience all around. Here’s what you’ll notice:
- Full WCAG 2.2 AA Accessibility Compliance: Ensuring that every user—regardless of ability—can fully engage with the editor.
- Streamlined Interface and Navigation: Actions are grouped more clearly, menus are better organized, and key options are surfaced upfront to reduce clicks and cognitive load.
- Faster, More Intuitive Workflows: Create and edit messages more easily with a modern, responsive RCE, clearer visual cues, and a reduced learning curve.
- Holistic Design Consistency: The experience now feels like a natural extension of the Instructure platform—because it was designed that way.
Note: The Walkthrough Editor experience remains unchanged for now, but improvements are on the roadmap to start in Q3. This approach allowed us to prioritize the most significant accessibility and usability gains first without disrupting your existing workflows.
Create messages quickly and confidently with improved workflows and new features!
Gif of the step by step process of creating a message with the inline editor
NEW: Easily see what messages are connected to the same context and preview a screenshot of the context for additional clarity!
NEW: Quickly add your newly created monitor to a reporting template or assign it to a tool category, saving time and clicks with your reporting needs!
Built in Partnership with Admins
Throughout this redesign, we partnered closely with a group of Impact Admins who served as early adopters. Their feedback, suggestions, and real-world use cases were instrumental in shaping the new experience. We also conducted extensive internal testing to ensure an optimal experience before launch.
Here’s just a sample of what we heard from our early adopters:
“It looks a lot cleaner.”
“The inline editor is easier to navigate.”
“I like the robust options and the ease of using the RCE. So much better than the old one.”
“I like that the actions are more clearly chunked.”
“I'm loving the consistency of the new design. It feels like everything was designed holistically.”
“I don't remember being able to create a message in the inline editor this easily.”
“The user interface is very intuitive, and the options are available on the first page.”
Thank you to those that participated and provided crucial feedback during this process!
What’s Next?
The redesigned Inline Editor is available now within your environment! To ensure that you’re seeing the latest version, please reopen your browser or clear your cache.
Try it out and let us know what you think by commenting on this blog or passing feedback along to your CSM! We'll be listening closely and evolving the experience based on your feedback. Be sure to subscribe to our Product Blog and Release Notes to stay up-to-date on future improvements!
If you experience any issues with the Inline Editor as you begin exploring, our Impact Guides are a great place to start. If you can’t find your answer there, please reach out to the Impact Support Team who are always happy to assist!
Together, we’re building better, more accessible and intuitive features.
