Forum Discussion
New in Labs: Block Defaults
Block defaults are still in development and will receive updates as part of Labs. Functionality will change over time. Some options could be modified, while others may be removed based on feedback and feature stability.
While theme settings in Rise 360 are a great way to modify the look of your training, there's currently no way to change the appearance of existing blocks and affect how your blocks appear by default. The block defaults experiment changes that by giving you background and font-size settings that affect all existing and future content in your training.
But that's just the start! We want to expand this feature so that it best meets your needs, and we need your feedback to do it. Read on to find out how to use block defaults and shape its direction.
Set Block Defaults
Start by enabling this experiment from the Labs section of your account profile. Then follow these steps:
- Open a course and click the Theme icon at the top of the screen.
- Select Block Defaults.
- Modify the block background and heading size. Use the example blocks on the right to see how your changes affect sample content.
- For each default you modify, click Apply to All and confirm. This overwrites the settings for all current blocks in your training.
Note: Modified settings become the default for new blocks only after you've clicked Apply to All. - Exit the Themes menu.
Revert Your Settings
A Snapshot with your original settings is saved just before the new block defaults are applied. Restore that Snapshot to revert to your previous settings. Any content created after you applied the new block defaults will be lost.
Block Defaults FAQ
Are there any accessibility or collaboration issues?
When using block defaults, please be mindful of accessible course design practices, especially regarding color contrast and text sizing. Only those collaborators who have the feature enabled will be able to modify block defaults.
Can I apply block defaults only to specific block types?
At this time, block default settings affect all block content in your course, regardless of block type. Quiz lessons aren't affected by block defaults.
Do you plan to add additional block default settings?
As part of this Labs experiment, we welcome your feedback as to what additional block default settings you'd find useful. Please see the next section.
Share Your Feedback
We're excited about block defaults, but we want to hear from you on how we can make it even better. Your feedback will directly influence development, so consider sharing your thoughts on the following topics:
- Uses. How are you using block defaults? Does the feature meet your needs?
- Bugs. Is anything not working as expected?
- Improvements. How could this feature be better? What defaults would you like to see?
- Insights. How does this feature benefit you and your learners?
You can enable and disable this feature from the Labs page in account settings. Share your thoughts in the Labs forum or by accessing the feedback form directly from within the feature.
Good news everyone! Based on your feedback, we've added continue block behavior to block defaults. Keep that input coming!
36 Replies
Would love to see this as a Theme default! So when starting a new course, you can select a saved theme with colors, fonts, logo etc.
Hi PlusPortCT,
Great idea!
If you have any other ideas for enhancing the feature, don't hesitate to let us know here or in this feedback form!
I haven't yet tried this, but it would be AMAZING if there was an "apply to all" when selecting where you want audio - at the top or bottom of blocks. Having to set this block by block is a pain and takes precious time.
finally a long awaited feature :)
but sadly when we try it on several different courses, only the normal text blocks are changing (and not all of them), not even the columns and other interactive blocks.
Or is it a feature only to start with, while I'm starting with a new course to put new blocks? what also doesnt work for us :/
Hi LisaAmbacher,
Thanks for testing this out!
This feature allows you to adjust background and font size settings for new and existing courses. If this issue persists, could you please share a screenshot or screen recording with our team? This will help us troubleshoot, and we'll delete your files once the issue is resolved!
The block default is a wonderful addition but it does not include all of the blocks. List, accordion are two blocks that I just had to update. Please tell me quizzes (all, knowledge checks and the quiz section) are on the roadmap? Changing the font size is soooo time consuming with lists, accordion, knowledge checks, quizzes....very easy to overlook something.
Hi SRoberts,
Thank you for this feedback!
I've logged this internally for the team to look into further. We'll be sure to share any updates!
I would like to request an enhancement to the new Block Defaults functionality in Rise: the ability to globally manage the default state of audio playback locking for Audio blocks.
Specifically, it would be extremely valuable to allow course authors to:
- Set audio blocks globally to Locked by default
- Set audio blocks globally to Unlocked by default
- Ideally toggle this setting at the course level without needing to modify each individual audio block manually
For organizations producing larger Rise courses, this would solve a significant workflow and QA challenge.
A typical 1-hour course may contain:
- 3–5 lessons
- 3–5 modules per lesson
- 5–8 audio blocks per module
This can easily result in approximately 100 individual audio blocks within a single course.
Currently, if an organization wants audio locking enabled, each block must be configured manually. This creates several issues:
1. Significant Development Overhead
Manually configuring dozens or hundreds of audio blocks is time-consuming and increases the likelihood of missed or inconsistent implementation across a course.
2. QA and Testing Challenges
Because audio locking is managed at the individual block level, QA teams must verify each audio block separately.
Unlike other settings that can be spot-checked quickly, locked audio requires testers to sit through the entire playback before progressing to the next section. This turns otherwise efficient spot-check reviews into lengthy sequential review processes.
3. Troubleshooting and Revision Friction
During development or post-publish fixes, IDs and QA reviewers often need to temporarily disable locking to quickly navigate and validate content. Without a global control mechanism, teams must revisit potentially dozens or hundreds of audio blocks just to toggle settings on or off for testing purposes.
Why Block Defaults Would Help
If Block Defaults included a global audio-lock setting, organizations could:
- Maintain consistency across courses
- Reduce implementation errors
- Streamline QA workflows
- Temporarily disable or enable locking during testing cycles
- Save substantial development and maintenance time
Even better would be a course-level override or publishing option that could globally enforce or remove audio locking without requiring edits to every audio block individually.
This would make audio-lock functionality much more scalable and manageable for teams producing high-volume or highly-audio-driven Rise content.
Hi, DevinWeiss-efd2!
Thanks for sharing your feedback and including such detail!
I've logged this with our team internally.
As others have said, this is an exciting feature with a lot of potential!
Personally, I'd also love the following options:
- For text blocks: content width
- For dividers: block padding
- For buttons: button color (we like to use our secondary company colors for buttons)
In general, it would be great if we could have default settings for all of the formatting options available to each block, but the ones I mentioned above would be the most valuable for me.
Hi LeahRaymond,
Thanks so much for testing it out!
I've logged your feedback internally, and we'll continue to post updates in this discussion!
Hello! When I build my courses, I like to keep with specific color scheme to make company colors instead of the orange that defaults. Can we not change that in the block defaults? It looks like it changes the whole block background and not the button's itself.
Hi, SarahLichy!
Thanks for reaching out. Currently, only the block background will change. I've shared this feedback with our product team, so we'll let you know of any updates!
