Changes to the SharePoint Editing Experience

The SharePoint platform has been evolving rapidly, bringing new features and adjustments that can impact both user experience and governance. While many of these changes offer exciting opportunities, some also introduce challenges. In this session we take a closer look at key updates to SharePoint’s editing experience, offering insights on what works well, and where caution is needed.

SharePoint Home Page Changes

Despite many users being unaware of the SharePoint home page, a recent change is that it now includes a new section at the top, offering a user-friendly interface that allows you to create new sites or even a blank page. Additionally, it now centralizes your recent pages, regardless of where they are in your intranet. While this provides a convenient singular spot for content creation, it also introduces huge governance concerns. Users can now create sites that aren’t published but saved in OneDrive, which can complicate site management and compliance issues.

Co-authoring and Discard Changes

Co-authoring is one of the more touted updates, theoretically allowing multiple people to work on the same page simultaneously. While it resolves the issue of locking a page when a user puts it in edit mode and then steps away, it does come with a significant downside: the removal of the “Discard Changes” option. Without this feature, users are left to rely on undoing or restoring older versions, which can be cumbersome. While versioning remains in place, the absence of an easy discard option adds friction to workflows.

Changes to the page title area introduce both advantages and concerns. The page title is now considered a Banner web part, which can be deleted or embedded multiple times on a single page. This flexibility, however, comes with a drawback: the removal of the H1 tag, which is essential for semantic HTML and accessibility. When the banner is removed, an invisible H1 is inserted into the page, leading to accessibility challenges for screen readers. For users concerned with maintaining both design and accessibility standards, it’s recommended to use the Banner web part once per page and avoid relying on it for visual hierarchy.

Toolbox View

The new toolbox view introduces a quick-access feature for commonly used web parts, stock images, and section templates. While this simplifies workflows, the design itself can be confusing. For instance, the sliders and sparkle icons are not intuitive and might require some time for users to familiarize themselves.

Reshaping Images on SharePoint Pages

A much-anticipated new feature allows users to reshape images directly on SharePoint pages. While this seems like a welcome enhancement, it introduces additional complications. Currently, when an image is added, it functions as a button rather than a proper HTML image tag, which compromises accessibility. Worse still, reshaping the image causes any associated alt text to disappear, making it even less accessible for users relying on screen readers.

As with any new features, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons and consider how these changes align with your organization’s priorities. For more information on these changes and how they can impact your SharePoint environment, we’ve provided a list of additional resources below. We encourage you to explore these further and ensure you’re staying up to date on best practices in SharePoint management.

All Resources

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