Beta Icon Browser: Organize by Keyword instead of Upload Order

[rainfall]

Title:
Beta Icon Browser: Organize by Keyword instead of Upload Order

Area:
beta icon browser

Summary:
To either have an option to switch between upload order and keyword order (as the normal icon viewer has) or to swap from an upload order to a keyword order.

Description:
I don't think it's really human nature to look for icons by the order in which we uploaded them: we don't remember that. We do remember icons, especially if we categorized them for organization. (Say, by fandom, or by color, or by mood!) I think that keyword order would be a more human-accessible way of organizing icons.

It has been pointed out to me that this would cause some icons to repeat with multiple keywords -- but I think that would be fine, since it wouldn't add to load time, but MIGHT add to user convenience.

I assume that changing the sort method would be fairly simple, so I would be willing to do this myself if there's interest from other users.

Poll #9004 Beta Icon Browser: Organize by Keyword instead of Upload Order

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 75

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
50 (66.7%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
11 (14.7%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
3 (4.0%)

(I have no opinion)
11 (14.7%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[kyrielle]

I'd really like the ability to sort by alphabetically *first* keyword (for icons with multiple keywords) or by something else that won't repeat the icons. It doesn't add to download time, no, but if you tend to use multiple keywords it can make scrolling through icons take forever. I'm trying very hard not to imagine 50-100 icons with three keywords each now.

Extra configurations/options are a pain, but maybe there could be a set of sorts at the top of the icon browser and it could remember the last-chosen value?

[allen]

Ditto on the first keyword without repeats.

[rainfall]

Sure. I mean, it doesn't seem like it should be that hard to 'tag' an icon while looping to make sure it doesn't repeat.

[axiom_of_stripe]

Contrariwise, I would definitely want a by-keyword order to repeat my icons for each keyword. Otherwise, if I'm skimming through looking for an icon that I think starts with P-, having it back under K- makes this essentially a random sort order for that circumstance.

[azurelunatic]

I really do like remember last-chosen value for so many things!

[archane]

I'd really like the ability to sort by alphabetically *first* keyword (for icons with multiple keywords) or by something else that won't repeat the icons.

This.

[kerravonsen]

+1

[turlough]

I'm fairly sure there are people who think that viewing their icons in the order they were uploaded is completely natural and the only "right" way of doing it. So my "with changes" is to specify that it should be an optional setting.

[rainfall]

So you are for having the option to switch. Fine with me! ♥

[axiom_of_stripe]

+1

[susanreads]

How about a re-order button that defaults to what you used last time? Also, no repeats please. ... I'm looking at the non-beta icon browser where I thought the order was random. I never realised it was upload order.

[at_heart]

I'm not totally sure the non-beta icon browser IS using upload order. I thought it was random. At least, it seems to change sometimes...? But it's been a while since I used it on DW, as opposed to other sites like LJ and IJ.

What would you think about it being an account setting thing, as opposed to a button on the icon browser itself?

[susanreads]

The trouble with account settings is option bloat. If it's where people actually use it, it doesn't take such a long description to clarify which option is which.

[rainfall]

...Sigh. RP ACCOUNTS. That was me.

[opusculus]

It seems to me like it would be most useful to have several different ways to toggle the order? I'd love to be able to toggle the icon order displayed through keywords and order updated and most used and most recently used, and have it stay on whichever one last chosen until I switch. When you have 200+ icons of the same character, anything that would minimize searching time for the right icon would be really nice.

[rainfall]

:|a I was kind of hoping for a setting that could be set to one thing and then ignored for most people, which wouldn't be the case if it could be toggled six different ways... that sounds like it'd need to be an option on the icon browser itself. I'm not totally confident this could be do-able, the way I'm about icon keyword order (since it's already an option for the icons page). But I'll take this into consideration if other people like the idea too!

[opusculus]

Ah, I was thinking of it on the icon page. I still like the settings idea by itself though, since I think in general I could definitely make icons really easily found if I were to put in the effort with that. It would just require more keywording effort.

[azurelunatic]

I wonder if having the icon browser mirror the settings from the icons page would be workable, or too hard to locate and re-do.

[montuos]

I wouldn't mind being able to set a default sort order on the account settings page. But when I'm trying to find an elusive icon, I'm usually composing an entry or comment, not dorking around with my account settings, so that's where I'd most want to see ordering options.

[montuos]

+1

And since we have people in both camps on whether or not to use first-only or all keywords, those would have to be separate sort options.

[kaberett]

+1

[green_knight]

With-changes:

First, make the ordering sitewide, so that the upload page and the icon chooser use the same (and remember the same) settings.

Second, make it optional, because sometimes upload order caried information that keyword does not. (The last icon I uploaded... what did I call it?)

And third... now you've got me thinking about _other_ potential ways of ordering icons that might be useful. I still want to revive the ability to group icons and select, eg, from my writing or Japan icons without scrolling through a very long list, so there should be a hook to add further sort schemes in the future.