Recently, I set up an instance of Invoice Ninja v5, and I must commend the team for the impressive speed and the array of new features. The addition of subscriptions, extra custom fields, the dashboard, and the overall return to a v4-like feel are noteworthy. Thank you for your hard work! I’m eager to fully utilize this version, but there’s a critical aspect that needs attention—the client portal.
As someone who has relied on Invoice Ninja v4 for its simplicity and ease of use, I was excited to explore v5. However, after reviewing the client portal, I found it to be a potential showstopper for my clients. The client portal is crucial for me, and it needs to be more polished before I can confidently rely on it for client payments.
I have been using Invoice Ninja since 2019 for various projects, and the simplicity of v4 has been a game-changer. The ability to seamlessly send invoices to clients and have them review and pay without any hand-holding made it fool-proof. It’s been particularly useful for contactless billing, especially during the COVID era.
Now, transitioning to v5, my focus shifts to the Client Portal. My feedback, with my clients’ perspective in mind, revolves around the principle of “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I believe this is the ethos you’re aiming for, and here are some suggestions to enhance the client portal:
Invoice Landing Page:
- Make the invoice number clickable to view the invoice (as in v4).
- Copy the table columns/order from v4 (Invoice Number | Invoice Date | Invoice Total | Balance Due | Due Date | Status).
- Add a customizable notice when clicking Download/Pay Now without checking items:
- Customizable content.
- Customizable color.
- Customizable background color.
- Customizable time visible (option for visible by default).
View Invoice Page:
- Add a colon between invoice columns and values within entity-details.
- The white bar at the top of the page, containing the Copy URL icon, Pay Now button, and Download PDF button, takes up a significant amount of space.
- Suggestion: Remove the white bar and list these buttons horizontally, as in v4, to create a more streamlined and visually cohesive layout. Additionally, consider providing distinct colors for each button to maintain a clear visual hierarchy.
- Improve button design:
- Provide an option to change primary and secondary color codes independently through the admin panel without CSS.
- Provide an option to add SVG icons for better context.
- Add a share icon button with options: Copy Link, Print Invoice, and Send Email.
- Add a radio button to pay partial due, balance due, or a custom amount.
- Add dynamic $ amount in the Pay Now button (e.g., Pay $75 of $130 Now▼).
- Add a second Pay Now button spanning across the bottom of the page while using mobile.
- Fix missing content within the Product Items section.
- Item title is missing.
- Product details are cut off.
- Product details don’t respect mark up language.
- Can’t remove Total and Balance fields.
Payment Page:
- Add a message to the top of the Payment page to explain that users can change the amount.
Terms Pop-Up:
- The terms window does not respect line breaks and formatting like v4 did.
Admin Side:
- Return the functionality of Settings > Invoice Design > Invoice Labels, allowing label text to be changed on invoices.
These enhancements will not only improve the user experience but also make Invoice Ninja v5 even more user-friendly. I appreciate the effort and dedication put into the platform and look forward to witnessing its continued evolution.
Thank you!
-Tyler