Why is Confluence so bland to look and work with?

[Katheryng.salgado]

I started a massive project through Microsoft Notebook but now having to move to Confluence. It's difficult to learn but I'm figuring it out. Only current issue is, why is it so boring and not creative to write with? There's no editing of font, color and only had maybe 6 standard sizes. 

Making a page forces everything in the middle as a notebook "page" and makes it difficult to add additional outside of a paragraph. Pages are the only means of adding "labels" to create searchable keywords. I made a white board and it's more creative but as the name implies, anyone cane write on it and adjust, I tried to create it as a draft and then publish but it's none existent. 

I'm having to copy and paste my already editted data from Notebook over to Confluence. It's a headache adding words inside shapes inside white board as it doesn't appear smooth. 

Am I missing something? Can I get some tips/tricks? I really need to make the content pop instead of boring paragraphs. 

thanks!

[Patricia Modispacher _appanvil_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Katheryng.salgado,

thanks for your question!

You're not really missing anything. Confluence does not have so many built-in options to beautify content. But it does have the possibility to add some style with third party macros.

I, for one, would like to recommend Aura Content Formatting Macros. 

With this macro suite, you can add stuff like

Dynamic Cards

Countdown timers

Child tabs

An enhanced expand group

And my fave: interactive cards

And much more, tbh! Just browse through the documentation to find more macros. 

You might also want to read this text about highlighting text in Confluence.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[Kristian Klima]

The perceived blandness is actually a strong point.

It's simple, easy to use, has a favorable learning curve and makes the content easy to read.

Sure, other tools offer crazy formatting options but, as a content person, there's a threshold at which overformatting is detrimental to the user's ability to process the content.

Over-formatting = bad information architecture :) 

And, as @Patricia Modispacher _appanvil_ writes, you can improve the visual appearance for content consumption with apps.

[Katheryng.salgado]

Everything is being used with the same Ariel style and no possibility to highlight words or titles. I'm not adding doodles and all my projects have been commended to still look great. I know how to create something interesting while ensuring data isn't difficult to follow. 

I doesn't even allow to copy/pasted icons from other projects which can only be added on whiteboard. I will definately look into @Patricia Modispacher _appanvil_ 's response. Thank you for the input either way though. 

[Zoriana Bogutska_Adaptavist_]

Hi @Katheryng.salgado , I understand your pain. I remember five years ago when I was forced to start using Confluence for my former job. It was so strange and different from what I was used to with other document management tools..

But after a while, when you realise the huge benefits of using Confluence for team communication and collaboration, you start to accept it and use what is there. In addition, over time, you start to learn some of the hidden built-in features of Confluence that you hadn't noticed before and rethink the use of those that seemed too basic.

For example, you probably didn't notice that the whiteboard can restrict access.

 

And tables and loyalty can help you go beyond the format of a notebook page.

In addition, there's a whole hidden world in the drop-down menu of macros and templates.

  

If you still would like more, you can check out the Atlassian marketplace, where you can find many apps that enhance the Confluence. For example, my company offers an app Content Formatting Macros for Confluence, where you can find not only options for better design, but also functional ones that help improve the page structure and functionality: Tabs, Numbered Headings, Tooltips, Alert (for highlighting page status), etc.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to me here :)

[Fares Laroui_Vectors_]

Hi @Katheryng_salgado,

Confluence might appear bland at first (which in times is). But it is kind of designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. The objective is to get users started quickly and then begin formatting their pages as they get to know the tool, native macros, templates and third party apps. I often believe with Confluence, Atlassian is  trying to protect content creators from themselves and avoid the over using of formatting options as @Kristian Klima mentioned.

With this said though, you can start with templates, and then opt to build on them using content formatting apps from Atlassian Marketplace to personalize your pages. They are perfect for a variety of use cases like enhance navigation and page layout (tabs, expanders...), make information pop (panels, buttons...), detail processes (pages status, progress bars...).

And always remember, it is not about the macros but rather how to use for their fill potential. Here are a couple of post I wrote lately to help you learn why, when and how to use content formatting macros:

• Tips to Contextualize Confluence Content with Panels, Footnotes, Tooltips, and Notifications
• How to enhance navigation and page layout with expanders
• How to make your Confluence pages more interactive with buttons
• 7 tips to better structure your Confluence pages with tabs

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

[Seon Shakespeare]

Hi @Katheryng.salgado 

Welcome to the community!

Confluence's formatting can seem a bit limited compared to other tools, but you can still make your pages look great!

Try using templates, blueprints, macros, and layouts to add visual interest and structure.

Here are some helpful articles with more tips:

• https://www.atlassian.com/blog/confluence/create-engaging-confluence-pages-4-easy-steps
• https://www.atlassian.com/blog/confluence/6-confluence-page-elements-you-didnt-know-you-needed
• https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Confluence-articles/How-to-Make-Beautiful-Pages-in-Confluence/ba-p/2168688

Hope this helps!