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Merge 'Automations' and 'Blocks'

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Zollie
10 - Mercury
10 - Mercury

The concepts might be vastly different to Airtable staff, but to users theyโ€™re both just ways to extend Airtable functionality. Itโ€™d also be an opportunity to rethink the right side-panel design.

19 Comments
Bill_French
17 - Neptune
17 - Neptune

Fair point. I agree that this is a delicate line to walk. However, the home page mentions nothing about script, script blocks, or anything remotely programming-related. Instead - and I think this is why it has been so successful - itโ€™s a very kind and gentle intro that leads any viewer to conclude - I can use this. As such, itโ€™s likely appealing to the code-free customers, and thatโ€™s fine; thatโ€™s why weโ€™re all huddled around this community. :winking_face:

The first glance at the community page, however, is a bit different - Custom Blocks development is prominently featured. It feels like a little windshear at play and could be confusing to some.

Please donโ€™t misinterpret the spirit of my comments; I have been pushing for ways to overcome code-free weaknesses for years and now theyโ€™ve put out a really good pathway for deep integration, automation, and very flavorful customizations. Plenty to celebrate.

@Zollie made a good observation that I agree with; the nomenclature and organization of code-related features is still rough on the edges.

Zollie
10 - Mercury
10 - Mercury

learn new skills (like coding) *instead of saying โ€œwhoops you gotta now pay someone else to do it for you!โ€ everytime a use case gets a little spicy. @Kamille_Parks

But if the answer to โ€œcan I do this in Airtableโ€ genuinely is โ€œnot without some codeโ€ then dancing around the issue isnโ€™t going to help the people who need that solution @Kamille_Parks

Dang on point. You make a great case for an intertwined coding skill-level experience.

I think most people are understanding that you pay for the more advanced features for any app. @Kamille_Parks

Some people may now choose Airtable because the ability to have a custom block or run a custom script now exists. @kuovonne

These quotes ring especially true for engaged users or those that make purchase decisions. But fringe users, that are disengaged, confused, or reluctant to use the platform can drive retention issues.

This also might be a bit of a conversation about breaking through anchored UX expectations. โ€œWhere are the add-ons? Whatโ€™s a block?โ€, โ€œWhereโ€™s the development environment?โ€

Anyway, given the mixed thoughts here, maybe Airtable should continue going wild but keep reigning it in on the back of the mind?

Kamille_Parks
16 - Uranus
16 - Uranus

A loose product roadmap would make the discussion here more fruitful. For all I know, next month thereโ€™ll be another beta for some other "Script-"something. As it stands, I think exploring a consolidation of the Scripting Block and the Script Action Beta would help alleviate some confusion around similarly named product features.

Kamille_Parks
16 - Uranus
16 - Uranus

Also if anyoneโ€™s interested, I just found this recent podcast episode with Howie Liu describing Airtable and their kind of position in the no-code/low-code/some-code market. Worth a listen:

Paul_Warren
8 - Airtable Astronomer
8 - Airtable Astronomer

This has been a fantastic conversation to observe :slightly_smiling_face: The battle airtable legends (or rather healthy and respectful discussion). I am grateful for all of your active contributions to this community!

+1 for integrating โ€œadd-onsโ€ in the same space :slightly_smiling_face:

Bill_French
17 - Neptune
17 - Neptune

Ha ha - indeed. This is a perfect example of discourse to advance the science and understanding of Airtable.

I think @Katherine_Duh and Airtable should host a webinar once a month called Point-Counterpoint (a throwback to the SNL segment of the 70โ€™s, but with kindness and respect, of course). Feature two Airtable users with differing viewpoints. It would be fun, a good conversation, and a little side vote widget to gauge audience sentiment on each topic.

Kamille_Parks
16 - Uranus
16 - Uranus

psssst. @Jason, that might be a good way to get feedback about beta features

Ng_c_Han_YouTub
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer
Justin_Barrett
18 - Pluto
18 - Pluto

Welcome to the community, @Ng_c_Han_YouTube_ok! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: You didnโ€™t leave any comments with your base link, namely how this may relate to the topic of this thread. Would you mind sharing further details?