Introducing Lingo 4.0

A redesign for the future

We’re excited to introduce the next major version of Lingo — 4.0. An update that rebuilds the product from scratch and lays the foundation for new and exciting features in the near future.

Before we go any further, you should know 4.0 introduces a new architecture that changes how sync works. For this reason and to ensure continued service, updating the Mac App is required. You can do so here. Worry not, your assets are safe.

Today’s free update is the culmination of months of research and feedback. Besides setting the stage for the future, it redesigns Lingo with a focus on improving usability. So without further ado here’s what to expect…

1. Improved Kit navigation

4.0’s redesign makes navigating a Kit’s visual language a breeze. Long gone are the days of endless and inefficient scrolling.

A Kit’s visual language is often organized into Sections. They’re an important part of creating structure so it’s only fair for them to be made more prominent and have added practical value. In 4.0’s Navigator, the tree view of your Kit is exposed at all times. This ensures everyone on your team gets a better understanding of how Kits are structured and where Assets can be found. Moreover, because sections in the Navigator are clickable, it becomes much faster to navigate to the Assets you are looking for.

Tip: If you have one visual language spread across multiple Kits you may want to combine it all in a single Kit and take advantage of these improvements. You can do so by moving a Section from one Kit to another:

1. Go to the Kit containing the Section you wish to move
2. Right click the Section and choose “Move Section”
3. Select the destination Kit from the list and you’re done

2. Added hierarchy and customization

4.0 adds a new item that allows you to further customize how your visual language is presented — we call it Headings.

Headings are available from the Insert Panel and can be placed directly inline with Assets. When placed, you’ll immediately notice how they add the necessary visual hierarchy for grouping Assets within a section. Headings are displayed in the navigator nested within the Section they belong to. This gives you a more comprehensive look into the structure of your Kits.

3. Decluttered and performant by design

By now, you’ve probably noticed the new UI no longer displays the list of Kits available in your Space. You can still have multiple Kits, but now they’re all listed in a dropdown menu that you can access by clicking “Kits” in the Left Rail. When deciding to expose Sections we opted to do an overall UI cleanup so you get a focused and uncluttered experience.

4.0 is also faster, improving the time it takes to load Kits with lots of content. This is because in 4.0, instead of loading the entire content of a Kit, Lingo only loads the Sections you navigate to. It may take some time getting used to this change, but the investment will be proven worthwhile later this year. 😉

4. Updated Sketch plugin

Last but not least, 4.0 introduces a few updates to the Sketch plugin that make it more informative and versatile.

The Push/Pull Dialog now lists out the different Sections of the Kit the plugin is connected to. As you make changes, this will better inform you of where in the Kit updates will occur. Furthermore, when pushing, it will become very clear what is being updated in Lingo and what exists solely in your document and has not yet been added to the Kit.

Finally, the redesigned Push/Pull Dialog allows you to be selective about which Sections to pull from. In other words, you may connect to a Kit with a few Sections but only pull from the ones that fit your needs.

What’s next

We’re hard at work finalizing a feature that will allow you to:

1. Make changes to Kits without having work-in-progress immediately pushed live
2. Decide when changes should be made available to the rest of your team
3. Communicate the reasoning behind changes

In other words, expect a full-fledged Kit versioning system to be available in Lingo very soon. We’ll reveal more when this feature ships so stay tuned!

How do you feel about this free update and where Lingo is headed? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so shoot us an email, leave a comment below or tweet at us. And if you’re passionate about design languages and community building, we’re still looking for a Design Advocate!