Anthonyy232
UX Improvement Suggestions for First-Time Setup Flow
Hi, after watching the Paperize demo on YouTube (video link ), I immediately installed the app via Obtainium — great idea, and I love the minimalist and privacy-friendly approach!
However, I ran into some confusion during the initial setup. I’m using:
- Device: Pixel 7a
- OS: GrapheneOS
- Paperize version: tested on 2.2.0 and later resolved on 3.2.1
At first, I assumed the issue might be due to GrapheneOS’s restrictions, but I found others experiencing the same problem. So it doesn’t appear to be OS-specific.
What Happened:
In Wallpaper > Home Screen, I tapped on "No album selected", and the app showed a message at the bottom:
No albums found Dismiss
There was no further guidance on how to proceed, and as a new user, I didn’t know I needed to go to the Library tab to create an album first. This created unnecessary friction in what should be a simple setup.
Eventually, I figured out the correct steps through trial and error — but I believe this process could be much more user-friendly, especially for first-time users.
Current Setup Flow (as experienced)
- Open the app.
- Go to Wallpaper tab → “No album selected” → “No albums found”.
- Go to Library tab. Tap + at the bottom.
- Asked to enter album name (confusing at this stage).
- Then shown an empty album screen.
- Tap + in bottom right → choose folder or images.
- After picking a folder, I stayed in that view. Only when I noticed the pulsing + button in the upper right and tapped it, I was returned to the main Library view.
- Now, finally, returning to the Wallpaper tab showed the created album and I could select it.
Suggestions to Improve Onboarding UX
- Switch tab order
- Move the Library tab to the left, before the Wallpaper tab.
- In left-to-right reading cultures, the left tab feels like the "first step." Since users must create albums first, it makes more sense to present Library as the starting point.
- Simplify album creation
- Instead of asking for an album name up front, let the user just pick images or a folder.
- If naming is needed, ask afterward, or generate a default name (e.g. based on folder name or timestamp).
- At this point, most new users don’t even know they can have multiple albums — so naming isn’t meaningful yet.
- Skip unnecessary confirmation steps
- After selecting a folder or images, the app should automatically save the album and return to the main Library view.
- The extra step of having to tap the pulsing + in the top right corner is unclear and feels unnecessary.
- Improve error messaging
- When no albums are found in the Wallpaper tab, offer a helpful message like: “You haven’t created any albums yet. Go to the Library tab to get started.”
Final Thoughts
Thanks again for developing this app — I was really glad to see it work even on GrapheneOS, and once configured, it runs great.
These small UX improvements could really help new users get started more quickly and confidently. I'd love to see the app become even more accessible for privacy-conscious users like myself.
Happy to help test improvements if needed!
