In a recent Business Bloomer Club discussion, members shared their thoughts on WooCommerce’s latest addition to the admin interface: a “Live” button in the top bar, signaling the website’s environment status.
The feature’s placement, styling, and purpose have raised several questions, especially about its usability for store owners and its potential to create confusion.
This article explores the feedback on this feature, its intended purpose, and how to disable it if it doesn’t suit your needs.
Purpose of the “Live” Button: Differentiating Staging and Production
WooCommerce introduced this button to make it easy for users to distinguish between live and staging environments. When using a staging site, the button typically displays “Staging Environment,” while in a live, production environment, it shows “Live.” This visual cue is intended to help users, particularly developers, ensure they’re making changes in the correct environment.
However, as pointed out in the Business Bloomer Club conversation, there’s ambiguity in how WooCommerce and hosting services handle this button. While some hosting providers, like Bluehost, have a similar environment indicator, others such as WP Engine do not display this feature. This variation can add to the confusion, as store owners may not immediately understand the “Live” label’s purpose or even recognize its significance if they’re unfamiliar with development terms like staging and production.
Feedback on the “Live” Button’s Design and Positioning
1. Positioning and User Friendliness
- The button’s current placement in the top-left of the admin bar isn’t ideal for many users. As noted, positioning this kind of feature near the center or right side of the bar would reduce interference with regular navigation.
- Some developers argued that displaying the button prominently could be helpful in staging, but for live environments, it becomes redundant and even distracting.
2. Styling and Visual Impact
- The button’s styling could also use refinement. A contrasting background color could make it more obvious when a site is in staging versus live mode, while also reducing the likelihood of users ignoring the feature.
- Members raised the concern that this feature may be overwhelming for store owners who don’t require constant reminders of their environment status.
Community Reactions and Workarounds
Disabling the “Live” Button
For those who find the button unnecessary or distracting, WooCommerce provides a way to hide it. As shared in the conversation, a GitHub issue on the WooCommerce repository provides code snippets and guidance on how to disable this feature. By removing this element, store owners and developers can avoid potential confusion, keeping the admin bar cleaner and more intuitive.
Developer Perspectives
From a development standpoint, this feature may have its benefits, especially during site testing and maintenance. However, users emphasized that the feature should cater more to WooCommerce’s primary audience, including non-technical store owners who might find the constant “Live” label distracting and even confusing.
Conclusion: Enhancing WooCommerce’s Usability
The new “Live” button feature offers an interesting approach to environment management for WooCommerce. While the idea has its merits, feedback from the WooCommerce community suggests there is room for improvement in terms of styling, positioning, and optional display. For now, users who wish to remove the “Live” button from their admin bar can easily do so with the workaround provided in WooCommerce’s GitHub repository.
