Sometimes, staring at something long enough is all it takes to figure out what to improve.
I moved from the TipTap editor to BlockNote, built on TipTap, but it comes with all the features I would expect in an editor setup. I especially like what they did with the concept of blocks, which has expanded my mind about what an editor can contain. On the desktop, the editor works pretty well; there is enough space to support the information the editor will include, but it doesn’t look quite right on mobile.
BlockNote was inspired directly by Notion, but there are some minor differences. In Notion, the desktop view has a plus and rearrangement buttons in the side gutter. On mobile, this condenses into a context menu.
Notion editor mobile
For the BlockNote editor, the plus and movement buttons do not move, leading to some screen real estate loss. So, how do you figure out what to change? I haven’t been trained in design, but my recent adventures in sketching have taught me that if you aren’t sure what to change, stare at it. Physically move back, come close, stare at it from different angles and in various ways. Submerge yourself in any perspective that you can.
I am still unsure how I want the editor to look, but I am happy with how BlockNote generally looks, and I know some visual kinks could be improved. Knowing that something is off is incredibly helpful as I go about my day coding. I get to keep this in the back of my mind as I browse the Internet and be patient to let inspiration strike in its mysterious way.