[QGIS-Developer] Usability initiative/offensive for QGIS 4.0

Wed Feb 17 13:54:00 PST 2021

Hi Tobias,

Thank you for your detailed comments about usability. It really helps to
have someone collecting all these issues and pushing forward to have
this issues discussed and implemented.

I think the best place to start it to write a QEP [1], since there are
so many issues in your proposal. Each QEP is in fact an issue in the QEP
repository. It is the right place to discuss improvements before any
coding.

Other users and developers can add comments to your proposal. At the
end, it will be easier to evaluate the impact of those changes and to
define a roadmap for such improvements.

The discussion might take some time, but a better discussion makes the
development easier. People from the documentation team are also
important to the discussion. They are used to explain how things work in
QGIS interface.

If you can, try to create markdown sections for these issues in the QEP:
some are related to "Editing geometries", other are related to "Field
calculator", etc. It would be fantastic if you can add some print
screens also (but those can be added later, when discussing each issue).

Let's see what other developers can add. This is just my own opinion.

Regards,

Jorge Gustavo

[1] https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Enhancement-Proposals

Às 19:52 de 17/02/21, Tobias Schmetzer escreveu:
> Dear developers:
> 
> The following issues and ideas came up when I recently worked on a lots
> of data and I imagine many users may have the same or similar issues.
> The QGIS software is used by many experts in various fields by peoploe
> working mostly on important infrastructural projects and fields of
> public interest like hydrology, (sustainable) agriculture, urban
> planning and many more. Besides reflecting in a growing number of
> software development experts the success of QGIS can also show in
> winning a large group of GIS users. Satisfied users include the ability
> to easily and quickly handle the software which means the usability of
> QGIS is essential. As far as I know QGIS has been evolving for a couple
> of years. Using QGIS mainly as a user and for scripts I personally was
> confronted with a couple of minor but yet annoying obstacles which led
> to the ideas further below that crossed my mind. Realizing the size of
> the collection led to now wanting to suggest and initiate a usability
> offensive for the upcoming versions. Perhaps it could also be a
> motivational goal to be completed before the next major release 4.0 or 4.1?
> Returning to the notion of the offensive: I think especially QGIS core
> functions should be very well thought of and offer a high degree in
> usablilty. Many of my ideas focus especially but not exclusively on an
> easier and quicker use of frequently used functions like feature
> attribute editing, filling in data and the attribute table dialog but
> there are also other topics for improval like easier and quicker ways to
> edit geometries/features when entering specific attribute values. Where
> some functionalities are already in place so that I as a user was just
> not aware of them it might be worth thinking about how that availability
> could better be communicated to the user. (This is not meant as a
> defense why I haven't consulted related tutorials but to seek and
> collect intuitive usability improvements)
> 
> The initiative could be started with the below bunch of topics/tickets
> to discuss the ideas and when agreed label them with the key words
> "Usability offensive" and "GUI/UX". Apart from contributing the below
> ideas my suggestion would be to ask users in the users mailing list (or
> even in an official call on the web page and in the welcome message) for
> their most important issues they repeatingly stumble upon when
> performing their daily work. They could then also label their
> ideas/requests with the before mentioned key words.
> Also I was wondering whether the development team has ever thought of
> collecting statistics about user behaviour in order to detect most
> frequently used actions and functions in order to be able to improve
> these these.
> I am looking forward to your thoughts on my initiative.
>  
> Kind regards, Tobias
>  
> --------
>  
> My idea is to create a ticket as a feature request with the label
> "Usability offensive" and "GUI/UX" for every hyphen. Unfortunately I
> don't have the permission to set labels.
>  
> - Usability improvement: Always show number of currently marked objects
> in status bar at the bottom. Background: When the map is moved or other
> actions are performed the user doesn't know how many features are
> currently already selected (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41618)
>  
> - Usability improvement: Additional button in advanced digitizing
> toolbar: Move part of a polygon. The functionality of moving the part of
> a polygon is missing. Currently only whole Polygons can be moved using
> the "Move" tool, parts can be added or deleted using their respecive
> tool or single lines/points can be moved using the "vertex tool" yet
> parts cannot be moved. (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41619)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Improve vertex tool: make adding vertex nodes
> to an existing geometry easier. Currently the user needs to look for the
> middle of a segment, navigate there, hit the x and then move the line.
> It would be beneficial to have an alternative and quicker way of
> inserting vertices. Background: Especially when the user has a lot of
> vertices to move it's tiring and costs a lot of time to do it this way
> Suggestion: Yet there is a double-click option that adds vertices I can
> think of a quicker and more efficient way to add new vertices as the
> mouse needs to be very close to a line. Three ideas:
>   * What about entering a quick edit mode as soon as a line is selected
> by a right click so that then a double click (or even a one-click if
> that doesn't break a consistency rule) wherever on the canvas (except
> for being close to an existing point or a line that is to move via
> one-click) would be favourable. Or in other words: As soon as the
> (previously selected) line is unambigously known a double click (or even
> one click - depending on a consistency discussion) can easily create a
> new vertex point.
>   * What about an additional button for adding new vertices by click
> (creates new vertex), hold (drag), move and let go at the new vertex
> position (mouse button release)? That would mean only one click for
> adding a vertex in contrast to 3 clicks for the current solution (double
> click for activation, drag and one click for fixing the new vertex
> position).
>   * Suggestion: in combination with a key like e.g. the ctrl key or as a
> sub-item of the vertex tool to create an to insert a new vertex as soon
> as the user gets close to the line.
>   Also: I couldn't find a way to delete vertices. If that doesn't exist
> that would also be an important thing to have.
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41620)
>  
> - Usability improvement: Multipolygon vertex table: make
> affiliation/membership of points and of polygon contained in a
> Multipolygon transparent to the user. Based on the table it is barely
> not determinable what points belong to what polygon and how many
> polygons there are. Currently the multipolygon has only a "flattened"
> representation in the user interface. The current representation does
> not support a python script writer looking for understanding his data.
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41621)
>  
> - Usability improvement: Select features in freehand mode, polygon mode
> or radius mode: Currently the user needs to click twice when graphically
> selecting features. This doesn't seem much of a diffence yet for dozens,
> hundrets or even thousend objects it is very frustrating. Suggestion:
> Start drawing the selection area when mouse button is hold/pressed and
> select when mouse button is released -> Advantage: The user can select
> single/individual objects by clicking only once instead of twice. If the
> current selection method should be kept the new suggestion could be
> implemented as an additional option when pressing a key before selecting
> or something similar
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41622)
>  
> - Usability improvement: Add functionality of double clicking with any
> selection tool or the "Identify Features" tool on a single geometry for
> selecting it (toggle between adding/revoking the selection)
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41623)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Instant/direct edit of identified results in
> the "Identify Results" panel when layer is in edit mode. At least when
> double clicking on a feature attribute value, even better when single
> clicking on an entry in the "Identify Results" table
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41624)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Integrate the "organize columns" button into
> "Identify Features" and "Multiple Edit" to facilitate the choosing of
> fields. The chosen attributes for this layer shall be saved and used in
> all later attribute tables, identify results tables and multiple edit
> tables until redefined (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41625)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Integrate a quick switch/filter button to
> either show only CHOSEN FIELDS or ALL fields. The chosen option for this
> layer shall be saved and used in all later attribute tables, identify
> results tables and multiple edit tables until redefined.
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41626)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Show/edit only specified/filtered attribute and
> not all when identifying and editing results. Description: When
> identifying and editing these results the whole list of attributes is
> shown. The list may contain many attributes and when the user needs to
> edit only one attribute which is situated and shown at the end of the
> attribute list the user needs to scroll down and find that one attribute
> for every object. Doing this for many objects is very painful.
> Suggestion: Make the fields to be displayed in "Identify Results"
> panel/table adjustable, similarly to the "Organize Columns" dialog that
> is accessable in the attribute table.
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41627)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Offer the "multiple feature edit" in the
> context menu when right clicking on graphically selected features in map
> canvas: consider "chosen"/filtered fields/attributes that had been
> selected via "organize columns" dialog
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41628)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Quick click to graphically deselect all (e.g. 3
> times click or right click) (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41629)
> 
> - Quickly access the attribute table by double click: e.g. when clicking
> on the layer's name. When clicking on the layer symbol, open layer
> property dialog.  
>   I know there's already an option to choose between the properties
> dialog or table view. If my suggestion doesn't make this option
> unnecessary we could add a third "split" option with a location
> dependant functionality (which I personally would then opt as the
> default) (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41630)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Double clicking on a layer selection box should
> not trigger the opening of the layer's properties as selecting and
> deselecting a layer too quickly brings shouldn't bring up a dialog.
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41631)
> 
> - Rename tool tip description "Modify the Attributes of all selected
> features simultaneously". Suggestion to rename it to "Multiple Feature
> Edit" (preferred due to being short and hopefully self-explanatory
> enough, yet not sure if clear to all users) or "Modify several
> attributes of selected features at once" (very long). Any other ideas
> for a better wording? By the way I personally would rather opt for a
> longer wording in the top area of the dialog itself rather than in a
> tiny tool tip button. (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41632)
> 
> - Usability improvement: Add functionality to the layer context menu in
> "Layers" panel: Flash all features, flash selected features
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41633)
> -In Feature Attribute Table view: Various view related action symbols
> like the Filter Form, Organize Columns, Show only specific Features
> (selected, visible on map, Edited and New) as well as the Switch for
> Form and Table view are scattered among the upper and lower margin what
> makes is hard for me to orientate. Any opinion about grouping all view
> related properties and buttons at the top right: What features to show
> (selected/all/visible on map/...), form view/table view, what columns to
> show. I'd suggest to leave only one logic fnctionality at the bottom
> such as instant field filtering.
> I also generally noted that there are multiple ways of filtering. On one
> side that offers many possibilities and provides freedom whereas on the
> other hand the many options may confuse users and may create an
> overloaded picture. Any more positive ideas that could help clearing up
> the many filtering options picture in the attributes dialog?
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41634)
> 
> - Confusing: Create a new field in the field calculator dialog without
> being in edit mode on the layer and  even if the user cannot create a
> new field
>      -> suggestion to remove this function from the field calculator
> dialog and have only the option to create virtual fields as a remaining
> option (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41635)
> 
> - Improve Layer Styling: Facilitate multiple labels with different
> colors in addition to "no labels", "single labels", "rule-based
> labeling" and "Blocking". In the first run the function should
> facilitate to chose multiple attributes with different font colors and
> font styling. A later option could to enable the user to determine the
> label arrangement horizontally and vertically. (functionality considered
> as inferior priority) (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41636)
>  
> - Add functionality to the layer context menu in "Layers" panel: Add a
> feature related context menu to the categorized symbols/items/features
> in a layer, that enables the user to "Zoom to features", "Zoom to
> selection", "Flash all features", "Flash selected features"
> (functionality considered as inferior priority)
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41637)
> 
> - Create a "Selected Features panel", meaning to provide a panel similar
> to "Identify results" with the functionality of the "Multiple feature
> dialog". Important note: In needs to be easily distinguishable by its
> looks from the identify results
> (functionality considered as inferior priority)
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41638)
>  
> - User may be confused about selected objects that cannot be modified:
> Maybe change selection color of objects when Layer of selected features
> is editable?
> (functionality considered as inferior priority)
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41639)
> 
> - ability to open the raster georeferencer and read recently
> georeferenced raster map from layer context menu
> (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/41640)
>  
>  
>  
> 
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J. Gustavo
-- 
Jorge Gustavo Rocha
Departamento de Informática
Universidade do Minho
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