The Web Responsive module offers multiple visual improvements for a better UI/UX experience in the community edition. However, It is worth mentioning that Odoo 16 is already responsive and most of the things can be achieved from different screen sizes without any additional module.
The module has very well-documented features with GIF images for most of them, which helps to understand what the module offers.
The list of features is divided into three groups based on the device screen size:
- Universal Features
- Mobile-Specific Features
- Desktop-Specific Features
Universal Features
Once the module is installed can be immediately noticed that the navigation menu is changed to a full-screen app menu. Additionally, a quick menu search is added at the top of it, which is auto-focused for desktop screens. This change makes the navigation through the system quicker and more convenient.
The next few improvements from this group are focused on the list and form views. In the list view, both the header and footer are made sticky. By default, Odoo only makes the header sticky for desktops. This change significantly improves the user experience when scrolling through long list views. Also, the checkboxes in the list view are slightly enlarged.
In the form view, the status bar is made sticky, making it accessible for any action without scrolling to the top of the screen
Mobile-Specific Features
The features in this section, which are not available in native Odoo 16, are mainly focused on optimizing screen space. Following that the buttons in the control panel are replaced with icons.
Furthermore, the avatar is removed from the chatter when sending a new message. This change creates extra space for the message composer, which is especially valuable on small screens.
Desktop-Specific Features
In the section related to desktop screens, a very useful feature is the option that expand the form sheets to full-width. This creates additional workspace on the screen, especially when the chatter is positioned at the bottom. The position of the chatter can be easily adjusted using the “Chatter Position” module.
Another feature in this group is the preview of attachments on the side. The user still has the option to maximize it if that is needed.
Furthermore, changing the colour of the chatter composer when the message is sent to external users is a very convenient functionality, however, this feature was not available on Firefox while we were testing the module.
The last modification that the module adds is about the keyboard shortcuts. After installation, the shortcuts Alt + [NUM] are replaced with Alt + Shift + [NUM]. As it is stated in the documentation this change is done mainly to avoid conflict with the shortcut for Firefox Tab switching. It is very practical that on press of Alt the shortcuts are displayed on the screen which makes it easy to use.
This module provides valuable features, which make the work in Odoo even more convenient. However, the wide array of functionalities that the module contains might not align with every user's preferences. One idea to improve this could be to categorize these features into a few groups and offer them as optional choices. In that way, users can select the features that only apply to their needs.
From a technical standpoint, the module is actively maintained by the Odoo Community Association (OCA) and it is available from version 9 to 16.
In addition is a short video with the module’s features.