AI, UI, and v17, Oh My!

Members of the worldwide Umbraco community converged on Chicago for the two-day Umbraco US Festival earlier this month. Hosted by the Umbraco US Foundation, the festival highlighted technical and non-technical topics in speaker sessions, as well as a Hackathon and a UI Builder Workshop for developers (or at least tech-adjacent folks!). Umbraco 17 is scheduled to be released in late November, so that was a hot topic for this year’s event.

Session Highlight: Gridded Content & Back-Office Evolution

One of the early sessions that stood out was delivered by Heather Floyd. She walked attendees through how the back-office experience has changed over the years—from early templating to modern grid/block content models.

Attendees gained:

  • Insight into how to design content models with flexibility and editorial autonomy

  • A clearer picture of how the UI/UX of the back-office is evolving

  • Tips on bridging the gap between editor needs and developer architecture

Major Themes Emerging on Day 1

  • AI & Automation: AI is clearly emerging as a key part of CMS workflows—with emphasis on augmenting, not replacing human roles.

  • Editor & Admin Experience: The importance of a smooth editor experience bubbled up repeatedly—whoever is building the site must think about the person editing the site.

  • Community & Collaboration: The informal side of the event—hallway chats, vendor booths, peer exchange—was as important as formal sessions.

Afternoon Highlights & Hands-On Workshops

The afternoon was packed with hands-on learning:

  • A UI Builder workshop where developers dug into creating editor-friendly interfaces.

  • A Hackathon where cross-discipline teams experimented with new features and prototypes.

  • Partner booths and live demos showcasing packages, tools, and best practices.

Partner Summit

The invite-only Partner Summit welcomed agency and platform partners for a deep look at strategy as well as a roadmap covering the next few years.

A few highlights from the Partner Summit:

  • Umbraco continues to gain ground in the US and plans to add a new partner liaison to strengthen those relationships. 

  • In that vein, Umbraco HQ will also expand US support hours.

  • Umbraco Compose is slated to arrive in 2026. Umbraco Compose aims to unify content regardless of source. 

Morning Keynotes & Big Picture

The second day opened with broader strategic talks, including how Umbraco fits into larger digital ecosystems, and how AI is entering design and editorial workflows. 

Deep Dives & Tactical Sessions

  • Content Debt: A session highlighted the risks of legacy content, redundant templates, and outdated architecture—emphasizing why clean-up should be part of any CMS plan.

  • Design’s Role for Editors: Design professionals were encouraged to lead on editor-experience improvements—editing workflows, dashboard design, and usability matter.

  • Umbraco Commerce: A deep dive into custom fulfilment workflows and advanced reporting—showing how Umbraco is scaling beyond typical CMS use-cases.

Key Takeaways & Implications

  • Umbraco 17 is more than an update - it’s a signal of the platform’s direction.

  • AI is becoming essential, but must be used thoughtfully.

  • Editor experience matters - not just for editors, but for site success overall.

  • Content health is critical - legacy content and architecture can drag down value.

  • Community and ecosystem are key differentiators—being part of the network opens doors.