Differentiate Margins from Guides

[Louie Morais]

Another one that I can't tell if it is a bug or poor UX again. 

I expect that if you provide one master control to turn on or off guides that will override any other, since you have 3 (!) controls I am not too sure:

 

 

[DM1]

No, the line should not be visible. Do you have artboards on?

[Louie Morais]

No I don't, DM1.  But looking at it again, I see that I accidently created a margin and that was what was appearing/persisting before.

It is the UX, DM1. Margins and guides look the same, but if one selects a guide and moves to the next set of controls, which is margin, the guide stays selected so one can easily create a margin thinking they are entering the numbers for the selected guide appearing on the screen. I think you are trying to cram three different pieces of functionality (guides, margins and columns) into just one label (guides). I would recommend:

1. that instead you keep them separated like you guys did with bleed and grids, and provide individual links to each functionality (guides, margins, columns) from the document menu.
2. Make margins look different from guides.
3. Although I understand margins shouldn't be easily changed by direct interaction like guides, at least make them show the margins contextual menu when someone taps on them. The same for guides, if someone taps on them show the guides contextual menu.
4. Offload the document menu to contextual gestures. You are missing an opportunity to use the long press/tap on an empty part of the canvas to show a menu linking to/activating the grids, bleed, guides, margins and columns contextual interface. The same could be said for layers. 

I hope this may help but if you want I can provide a few wireframes showing more visually what I mean. Or hook me up with your UX professional. It would be a pleasure to help.

Louie

[DM1]

Hi Louie, I'm not affiliated with Affinity/Serif, just use and like the apps on my iPad. I do agree with your suggestions and hopefully so will the mods when they get to read them.

[Sean P]

Hi Louie,

Thanks for letting us know - I do agree that they need to be a little more obvious, for me personally I think a slightly different colour would be better, so I'll pass this thread over to feedback.

[Louie Morais]

Thanks Sean!