Small change for filter option when posting an entry

[hebethen]

Title:
Small change for filter option when posting an entry

Area:
Post an entry

Summary:
Right now, in order to designate an entry as viewable by a certain filter, one must select 'Custom' from the 'Show this entry to:' dropdown menu. Only then do the individual filters show up as checkboxes. I think it would be clearer if the option said something like 'Access Filter', or if the filter checkboxes were visible from the get-go.

Description:
Well, I'm not sure how much more I can say about it! Just that it's not very clear to a first-time user that there are Filters, and I remember I was a bit confused as to the wording of that dropdown menu option myself. If it's just a text change, it's a pretty minor thing and I don't think there are any drawbacks or problems.

On the other hand, listing out the filters and their checkboxes right up front would also solve the issue of clarity, and streamline the selection of a filter. I never really saw the point of having filters hidden until you select 'Custom', from a user's point of view. But I understand that it's probably more complicated, codingwise, to (e.g.) have the checkboxes right there and make the dropdown automatically jump to 'Custom' when the user clicks a checkbox.

Poll #13651 Small change for filter option when posting an entry

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 31

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
6 (19.4%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
13 (41.9%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
3 (9.7%)

(I have no opinion)
9 (29.0%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

I believe the point of having the filters hidden is for the benefit of the people who have up to 64 of them.

I wonder how difficult it would be to figure out the top five used custom access groups and show those, with a little widget to show the rest if needed, instead of hiding them all.

[hebethen]

Like a spoilercut, basically?

[azurelunatic]

Basically!

As far as users who don't/can't do scripts, I imagine it would work about the same as the current experience, just slightly differently organized.

[ariestess]

I kind of like this idea of the top 5 used custom access groups.

[ninetydegrees]

I think it would be clearer if the option said something like 'Access Filter'

+1

or if the filter checkboxes were visible from the get-go.

I think this could be problematic for people with a lot of filters as long drop-down menus aren't really user-friendly in my experience.

[kyrielle]

+1. I don't want my list of everything eating space up all the time....

Although, hey, the new entry form is customizable! Maybe it should have the widget configurable as to whether you want it to always show filters or not - that wouldn't add a *lot* of option weight, and it's one you'd only see when customizing it. Leave the current behavior as the default, change the text to "Access Filter" or the like, but if someone goes in to customize the entry form anyway, let them mark something that causes it to always show the filters....

[turlough]

+1 This is my "with changes" vote.

[ariestess]

Oh, I like this idea!

[anaraine]

+1

[lorax]

+1!

[kaberett]

+1

[amadi]

+1

[susanreads]

+1

[cesy]

+1

[deborah]

+1 on both counts

[montuos]

Maybe I'm weird here, but "Custom" is a word that has always told me something was an item I could change to suit myself.

I do like azurelunatic's idea of displaying a subset of the access groups, though, and kyrielle's idea of being able to configure whether they're always visible or not.

[pauamma]

I believe the "custom" label comes from the LJ equivalent feature (custom friends groups) and was never changed when DW split that option into watch+trust.

[inthetatras]

Yep, my main issue is with cases where a user might have a lot of filters. My 'Shouldn't be implemented' vote is specifically for "listing out the filters and their checkboxes right up front." I find that to be a bad idea. If it's just changing the text "Custom" to "Access Filter," then I think it's a worthwhile change to be implemented as is.

[arethinn]

I agree that "Custom" is a bit opaque, especially to a new user, and having it read "Access filter" or similar would be more helpful.

I don't think the filters should not be already out in the open, though, because if someone had e.g. 20 filters the page would become quite cluttered. (That's my "with changes.")

[kerravonsen]

+1