Context
Customizing the home page in Sitecore Content Hub allows organizations to tailor the user experience to their specific needs, ensuring an intuitive, efficient, and brand-aligned interface. While branding elements like colors, fonts, and logos create a cohesive design, home page customization extends beyond aesthetics—it enhances usability, optimizes workflows, and personalizes content access.
Execution
Users often require quick access to relevant information, such as saved searches, collections, or content dashboards. By enabling different home page configurations for various user groups, organizations can improve efficiency and ensure that users interact with the platform in a way that best supports their roles. However, it’s essential to balance customization with performance and maintainability, keeping in mind the long-term evolution of Content Hub. Additionally, accessibility considerations should be prioritized to ensure compliance with industry standards and create an inclusive experience.
Branding & Theme Integration
Ensuring a consistent look and feel across the platform is crucial for maintaining brand identity. The home page should reflect the organization’s branding guidelines by incorporating the correct color schemes, typography, and logos. However, branding should not come at the expense of usability. Visual elements must be applied thoughtfully to maintain readability and accessibility. For instance, high contrast between text and background should be ensured, and fonts should be legible across different screen sizes and resolutions.
Review the Themes Documentation for further information on configuration.
Personalization & Default Views
One of the key aspects of home page customization is the ability to personalize the default view for different user groups. Not all users interact with Content Hub in the same way—marketing teams may need quick access to campaign assets, while creative teams might focus on collections and templates. Sitecore Content Hub allows different home pages to be assigned to specific user groups, ensuring that users have direct access to the most relevant information.
Beyond setting default home pages, visibility settings can also be configured to control access to specific pages. This means that certain groups can be restricted from seeing pages that are not relevant to their roles, ensuring a cleaner and more efficient user experience. Additionally, elements such as saved searches, frequently accessed collections, and customized dashboards can be included to further enhance personalization.
Configurability of Home Page Layouts
A common consideration is whether home page layouts should be globally managed by administrators or if individual users or specific user groups should have the ability to see different components on the home page based on their assigned roles. In most cases, companies prefer to define a standard home page layout to ensure consistency.
However, it’s important to clarify that this discussion does not refer to master layouts. Master layouts are designed to apply a consistent structure across multiple pages and maintain uniformity for similar content types. Creating separate master layouts for different user groups’ home pages is not considered best practice, as it adds unnecessary complexity to maintenance and updates.
External Components for Grid Layout
For organizations requiring a flexible and scalable home page, a React-based grid layout component has proven to be an effective solution. Unlike traditional HTML and JavaScript implementations, React provides better maintainability and a more streamlined customization experience. This approach allows marketing users to add or modify components more easily without requiring deep technical knowledge.
Using React also improves the overall sustainability of the customization. It ensures that the home page remains adaptable to future changes while minimizing disruptions during platform updates. The ability to integrate external components in a modular way allows for easier enhancements over time.
Insights
A well-structured home page customization strategy goes beyond visual branding—it focuses on usability, personalization, and long-term scalability. By assigning different home pages to user groups, organizations can enhance productivity and ensure users have access to the most relevant content.
However, customization should not come at the cost of performance. Organizations must carefully evaluate the impact of their modifications to maintain a fast and efficient platform. Using React-based components for grid layouts simplifies ongoing maintenance and ensures a smoother customization process.
Performance Considerations
While home page customization offers significant advantages, it’s important to keep performance in mind. Over-customization, particularly when incorporating multiple dynamic components, can lead to slower load times and a less responsive interface. Organizations should assess the impact of each customization on system performance and find the right balance between personalization and efficiency.
Furthermore, customization should align with the long-term evolution of Content Hub. Overly complex modifications may lead to challenges in future upgrades or compatibility issues with new features. A best practice approach is to focus on essential enhancements while ensuring that the platform remains stable and scalable over time.
Accessibility Considerations
Accessibility is an essential factor in home page customization, especially for organizations that must comply with WCAG or other accessibility standards. While Sitecore Content Hub provides built-in accessibility features, custom components should also be developed with inclusivity in mind.
When designing the home page, elements such as keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and sufficient color contrast should be considered. Ensuring that interactive components are usable by all individuals, including those with disabilities, enhances the overall experience and prevents accessibility barriers. It’s advisable to collaborate with stakeholders to define accessibility goals and ensure that customizations align with organizational requirements.