“What even is a ‘palette’?”
We’ve heard this question in almost every JobFlow Pro demo. New users click “Manage palette” and pause. The term makes sense if you’ve used Node-RED for years. If you haven’t, it’s confusing.
Palettes are how you install packages in Node-RED. But calling them “palettes” instead of “packages” creates a learning barrier that doesn’t need to exist.
The Cost of Jargon
Technical communities develop specialized terminology. Sometimes it’s necessary—new concepts need new words. But often it’s habit, not necessity.
Node-RED borrowed “palette” from visual design tools. In graphic design, a palette is a collection of colors or tools. In Node-RED, it’s… also a collection of tools. The metaphor works if you’re familiar with both domains.
Most JobFlow Pro users aren’t. They’re print operators, prepress technicians, and automation specialists. They understand packages, plugins, add-ons, extensions. They don’t understand palettes.
Testing the Terminology
We ran a simple test during onboarding sessions:
Group A: “Click ‘Manage palette’ to install new nodes” Group B: “Click ‘Manage packages’ to install new nodes”
Group A paused and asked what a palette was. Group B didn’t. That pause—that moment of confusion—is a friction point that prevents adoption.
Beyond Renaming
Palette+ does more than change “palette” to “packages.” It also:
Adds drag-and-drop installation Drop a .tgz file onto the interface. It installs. No command line. No terminal. Just drag and drop.
Clarifies the UI The original palette manager mixed installed packages, available packages, and package details in ways that confused users. Palette+ separates these clearly.
Improves feedback Installing a package? You see progress. Something fails? You see why. The original interface often gave cryptic errors.
Resistance to Change
Changing established terminology is controversial. Long-time Node-RED users know what “palette” means. They’ve internalized it. Changing it feels unnecessary.
But established users aren’t the problem. They already understand the system. New users need to understand it quickly, without friction.
When terminology creates barriers, we should question whether the terminology is worth keeping.
The Broader Pattern
We see this pattern across enterprise software:
- “Provisioning” instead of “setup”
- “Artifacts” instead of “files”
- “Orchestration” instead of “coordination”
- “Palette” instead of “packages”
Each term might have historical justification. But if users consistently ask “what does that mean?”, the term is failing.
Try Palette+
Palette+ is available in our NPM registry. It replaces the default palette manager with clearer terminology and modern interaction patterns.
We’re curious: what other Node-RED terminology confuses new users? Let us know what you’ve observed.
Note: We know some users prefer “palette.” That’s why Palette+ is optional. If the original terminology works for you, keep using it. This is for teams where it doesn’t.