How Directual’s webpage builder differs from others

TL;DR: Directual’s UI builder is designed to help developers build internal tools and heavy-duty apps faster. The components are structured as big, customizable blocks. Other platforms or website builders opt for a different approach, focused on smaller elements instead. 

It’s time to do some myth-busting. Sometimes, it is argued that Directual leans much more toward backend, and the frontend part of the platform finds itself wishing it could be more. It is not so. 

Different use cases, different results. So, let’s take a more detailed look at the situation.

Per-element approach to UI builders

I hope no one minds us doing a comparison with Bubble here, as it serves as a perfect example for this article. Quick disclaimer: we love Bubble and enjoy it when our clients use Directual and Bubble together. 

Many platforms opt for an approach that Bubble has pretty much refined over the years: a fine-tuned control of each particular element. The creation of an app’s UI is a painstaking process that requires a lot of time to align, test, and put together nicely.

The end result is a UI you make out of hundreds of different elements. The downside to this customization and precision is the process: you have to wire everything together. Thus, it’s safe to point out here that in the case of Bubble, it’s a good choice for highly specialized and unique UIs.

Now, here’s the kicker: not everyone needs to fuss over every single button and element alignment. Not just Bubble, but many other no-code platforms we know of use the same approach. It certainly has its strengths. Sometimes, however, what you need is a sturdy UI that can be built in 10 minutes and made pretty later. 

Directual’s approach to UI builders

In short, Directual offers larger UI components that can be placed within the adaptive layout. The main goal is to offer developers an opportunity to construct live (and functional) apps within an extremely short amount of time.

Here’s an example of something basic you can create in literally fifteen minutes.

Instead of separate elements, you have these hefty big boys that you can customize through and through: 

Each of these components has a number of settings you can use to make it look and work the way you need it to. Basically, it’s a big block with highly customizable settings to save you time and headaches.

Needless to say, colors, fonts, and other visual attributes are all highly customizable, and if you’re looking for something absolutely crazy, it can also be added one way or another. 

To sum it up, when it comes to a certain range of frontend tasks, larger blocks are far more versatile and make the entire task of creating UI for your app faster. It works really well with internal apps, admin panels, and everything else that doesn’t require a lot of eye candy.

Afterword

We know that no project is alike. Sometimes what you need lies far beyond any no-code app’s capability, and sometimes all you might wish for is just there. We wanted to say that for a great variety of tasks, Directual has all the tools in its arsenal ready to go. 

Give it a try, and see if it’s just the thing you require in your case as well. In case you’d like to learn more from the platform creators themselves, shoot us a message at hello@directual.com