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Request: Add a "List View" option in New Document window


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I would love to see a "List View" option at some point in the future so I can more easily select a new document size.

For me, the update to the New Document window has made it more difficult to use. There are two primary issues I've had when using it:

Identical icons in a grid layout make it hard to scan and compare the different options

Comparing and scanning data organized in a left-to-right format is more difficult than a vertical list. This is why operating system windows, spreadsheets, databases, and most other types of data tend to be laid out in a vertical list.

The current format looks nice, but compared to the old format it requires more mental work to accomplish the same task.

The icons don't reflect the relative sizes of the document

Since the icons are all the exact same sizes and shape, I'm not sure what benefit they offer form a usability standpoint.

With the new layout, a 7" x 7"  document has the same icon as a 30" x 40" document, which isn't all that useful when selecting a template. For me, it actually makes things more difficult since I have to work against the mental habit of assuming icons visually represent the thing they're attached to.  

 

I can appreciate that a lot of work probably went into creating this new format, and I do like how the document sizes are grouped by purpose (print, device, etc), but it largely feels like a change for the sake of change (unless there's some usability benefit I'm not seeing).

Edited by bad_nerd
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1 hour ago, bad_nerd said:

I would love to see a "List View" option at some point in the future so I can more easily select a new document size.

For me, the update to the New Document window has made it more difficult to use. There are two primary issues I've had when using it:

Identical icons in a grid layout make it hard to scan and compare the different options

Comparing and scanning data organized in a left-to-right format is more difficult than a vertical list. This is why operating system windows, spreadsheets, databases, and most other types of data tend to be laid out in a vertical list.

The current format looks nice, but compared to the old format it requires more mental work to accomplish the same task.

The icons don't reflect the relative sizes of the document

Since the icons are all the exact same sizes and shape, I'm not sure what benefit they offer form a usability standpoint.

With the new layout, a 7" x 7"  document has the same icon as a 30" x 40" document, which isn't all that useful when selecting a template. For me, it actually makes things more difficult since I have to work against the mental habit of assuming icons visually represent the thing they're attached to.  

 

I can appreciate that a lot of work probably went into creating this new format, and I do like how the document sizes are grouped by purpose (print, device, etc), but it largely feels like a change for the sake of change (unless there's some usability benefit I'm not seeing).

Hello @bad_nerd and welcome to the forum.

I share your remark. I do like the newly introduced 'New Document' window but I think it can become better over time. Just recently someone else suggested an approach that makes the page sizes a bit more visual. This, of course, had to be solved for different media in a different way.

You can find this suggestion here:

Cheers,
d.

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On 5/8/2020 at 6:54 PM, bad_nerd said:

With the new layout, a 7" x 7"  document has the same icon as a 30" x 40" document, which isn't all that useful when selecting a template. For me, it actually makes things more difficult since I have to work against the mental habit of assuming icons visually represent the thing they're attached to.  

Yes, this has really failed, and it is useless and completely impractical. The list of offered formats, which would normally fit on a few lines, thus takes up a several pages completely unnecessarily, in which one has to scroll through and laboriously search for the right format.

 

On 5/8/2020 at 6:54 PM, bad_nerd said:

I do like how the document sizes are grouped by purpose (print, device, etc)

It is a pity that this is done in a completely inconsistent way, which does not correspond to the GUI used in the rest of the application. This is what the dialog/form seems to have been designed by someone who has never even seen Affinity applications.

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I agree that I don't appreciate the new layout yet.

But remember that if there are a few standard sizes you use, you can save your own custom presets for them, and then they'll be in a smaller list, which might help :)

-- Walt
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20 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

then they'll be in a smaller list,

But with the same landscape "icon", when they are in portrait mode, this isn't helpfull at all. I end up mostly clicking on A4 and modifying the document later :S

Perhaps having smaller views would be better so we can focuse on the settings part of the panel.

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