Dear Sketch Team,
You offer automatic saving of documents to the cloud, but why don’t documents update automatically when opened in the browser?
Every time I make a change I have to wait 5-10 minutes before I see a refresh button and then I have to ask the developer or client to press a refresh button if they want to see the latest changes.
It would be preferable for updates to be immediate and automatic, without the need to refresh.
Hey Paulius,
Thanks for sharing this, you bring up an important topic.
Documents are updated automatically, but there’s nuance in the process. If you’re making changes and your colleague opens the document in the browser, they will instantly see the reload icon, so they can know there’s some changes in the document, but these are not yet part of a version.
Another key part is what happens when you are viewing a document in the browser and an Editor is making changes at the same time. In this case, since you already have the document open in the browser, you’ll need to refresh the window to see the reload button, or create a new version.
This is a good thing because it gives you control. You can see the version you’re in as long as you need to, and then decide when you want to see the latest changes, either by refreshing or by clicking on the “See latest version” if one is pushed.
If changes were constantly shown, it could break flow, taking you away from where you are and into the latest changes, which may or may not be related to what you were seeing.
If you’re making a bunch of changes to a document and your client is on the browser waiting to see them, you can add a comment from the Mac app. Comments are always shown instantly, and your team or clients can know if there’s anything new to see.
I hope this helps!
@dfmedrano
I suggest you try Figma, because the nuances you just mentioned are already solved. Your product statement “Collaborative design that works in real-time” is misleading. I don’t think the current solution of waiting 5-10 minutes and refreshing the web browser to see if the refresh button is available is a good solution. Please consider providing a real-time option as you have in the Sketch Mac app.
Hey @Paulius ,
Thanks for your reply. Although we’re now talking about a different topic. Real time collaboration is different from the scenario you described in the OP. Real time Collaboration takes place between Editors, and is in fact real time. You can see what other Editors are doing in the Mac app and even follow them around.
The scenario you shared in the OP is different: it involves an Editor making changes in the Mac app, and how Viewers or Guests see these changes in the Web app.
Having an option to view changes in browser in real time, as they happen in Mac app would be REALLY powerful, in case you want to collaborate on a design with stakeholder, who doesn’t have Mac app.
It’s really convenient to just send a link and that stakeholder can see everything what I do in real time, while we talk for example.
It’s much smoother than just sharing my screen to them.
Of course, this is not always desirable, so ideally, we should be able to somehow switch it on and off, kinda like we have an option to “hide” work in progress designs with starred versions.
