The back button in v0.9.1 is just the browser’s back button, as that widget is missing from the PhotoStructure for Desktops UI.
Several beta testers have expressed confusion about how the back button works:
The first improvement suggestion that I have is to make the back arrow icon on the full screen image appears to invoke a backwards navigation action on the browser even though it would be more logical to make it return to the previous view. For example, if I click on an image to show it in the full view and then navigate with the screen edge icons to the next image, I expect pressing the back arrow to take me to the thumbnail list instead of the previously shown full view image
Suggestions about how to improve it include:
replacing the back button with an up arrow on the “asset view” that returns you to the last-viewed tag gallery (if this was implemented, this is what the ESC button would navigate to, as well)
replacing the back button on tag views to an up arrow, where it will navigate to the parent tag (this is what tapping the ESC button currently does)
So: do you find the back button confusing? Do you have other suggestions to improve this?
I definitely understand the confusion pointed out in your quote… it isn’t really clear until you play with it what exactly the back arrow is doing.
With that said, I don’t like the idea of an X in that location because that header is persistent regardless of where you are in Photostructure. If the X shows up sometimes but not other times, I worry that could be confusing and unintuitive.
What if it always displays an up arrow, signifying “up one level”? If you are viewing an asset, up one level takes you up to the tag gallery you’re currently browsing (lets say When/2021/Jan). From there, up one level takes you to When/2021. This can continue until you get to the home page, at which point “Up One Level” could be greyed out.
I’ve mentioned navigation before, but I just got frustrated by it again so I thought I’d try to explain my position better. I thought a video would show my issues with the navigation better than I could describe in text, so: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ohngA79t3eF7aytdA (it’s a screencast)
(I see the irony that I’m sharing this video from Google Photos. I really look forward to sharing my assets from Photostructure instead! )
I made this video in beta0.9, but I just tested in alpha0.2 and it behaves the same.
I also want to say that I’m complaining about Photostructure’s navigation, but I’m not complaining. I mean, Photostructure is already pretty awesome and it’s just a baby (a fetus, really), and I can see how incredible it’s going to be. But now is the time to suggest improvements. Even if you think improving the navigation is worth doing, I can see how it could be a much lower priority than adding some of the basic and most-desired features, because after all Photostructure it is navigable now. It could just be improve. In my opinion.
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