alienator88
Add sub-title explanations to actions
Great app, thank you!
- It would be great if under each option there would be and explanation when it's used and what for. I have used this tool few times, and every time it's trial and error of dropping app on both options and then trying to run unsuccessfully, then dropping on just one of options, and so on.
The subtitle can be in this format:Disables …, allowing to install the app that's not from app store. If you do this then you'll need to … when you … - It's way too easy to disable gatekeeper. Especially that most of users download Sentinel just to instal some app, but then… "let's click this cool switch, why not? maybe Gatekeeper supposed to be disabled if it's a switch in this app.".
- Great UX is not making users guess and confused.
- Burden of knowledge: you can't imagine how a user may not know this simple common concept.
I'll definitely look at adding some informational text for the drop zones, might do an Info button by each text. I don't want to clutter the UI with a long description.
As for the gatekeeper toggle, I wasn't aware that people were downloading Sentinel just to remove the quarantine as it's main use case. Originally the point of this app was just a toggle for gatekeeper, that was all I used it for 😂 I guess times have changed and need to adjust the UI to accommodate the main use-case now.
Can you take a look at this test build I'm working on with some of those changes? Let me know what you think. https://github.com/alienator88/Sentinel/issues/25#issuecomment-2803399069
I'am glad you take this seriously. The new version is a nice improvement! Here's my take to make it clear:
Ooo I like that layout, it looks really good!
Sentinel was my very first mac app so there was a lot of learning, trial and error, etc. I will work on a 2nd frontend for it that replicates what you did here and I'll have you test it when it's done, if that's okay?
I'm working on a bug right now, I'll hit you up when I'm done with that.
I tried to DM you on bluesky and my account got flagged somehow and disabled my DMs completely 😂 I appealed the decision but not sure how long that would take to revert back.
If you have discord we could talk on there? I don't have twitter and don't want to sign up there for reasons.
I your message and replied. 🤓 Do you have any other contacts, I don’t see any in your profile here.
Oh I got your message, I guess they unblocked me. You can message me on bluesky.
Can you test this very alpha build?
The only thing I haven't added yet, is the Removed Quarantine label in green. I threw it on there momentarily and it just seems a bit crowded and having the lock badge over the app icon kind of already describes what is happening. Having 2 lock icons and label seemed a bit too much, so I'd like to keep one or the other. I don't necessarily want to overcorrect going from too minimalistic to having too many details.
Side note, I don't normally like to use image resources unless I really have to(to save bundle space), so I re-created everything in your prototype in pure SwiftUI. If some things look slightly different, that's likely why.
Side note, I don't normally like to use image resources unless I really have to(to save bundle space), so I re-created everything in your prototype in pure SwiftUI. If some things look slightly different, that's likely why.
It is supposed to be all in Swift of course. What images do you mean? I only used that large switch as image.
The dropzone background in your prototype. I didn't see that in the exported code, so I just re-created it using Path in SwiftUI to draw the lines/circles.
I'am glad you take this seriously. The new version is a nice improvement! Here's my take to make it clear:
-snip-
This screen feels like a website. And sadly doesn’t solve the original problem but buries it under high cognitive load.
FWIW, I would dissuade you guys from adding that much text, especially around the Gatekeeper toggle, which doesn’t need to have nearly as much UI devoted to it (it could just be the toggle mounted top left of the app for example). Turning off/on Gatekeeper is not dangerous in and of itself. Moreover, I would assume users that use this app are familiar with the basics. And if they aren’t, you shouldn’t use the UI like a help doc.
As even a power user, this iteration makes me apprehensive about using this app. Especially danger zones? There is no irreparable harm that can be done by this app is there? Moreover, true danger zones in UI are actions that cannot be undone (like account deletion). So using it here, like this, is not good.
It would be best to use an antonym for Quarantine rather than explain the action in a sentence. Free/Release/Discharge all work and communicate in a single word what will happen. The hurdle is education but it’s a low bar for entry and worth the UI points we bank. A single sentence explaining the action follows.
Same goes for signing authority. Don’t need to be so verbose.
Then write up a few paragraphs about each function and toss it into the help section for a call back. Wrap it and ship.
I'am glad you take this seriously. The new version is a nice improvement! Here's my take to make it clear: -snip-
This screen feels like a website. And sadly doesn’t solve the original problem but buries it under high cognitive load.
FWIW, I would dissuade you guys from adding that much text, especially around the Gatekeeper toggle, which doesn’t need to have nearly as much UI devoted to it (it could just be the toggle mounted top left of the app for example). Turning off/on Gatekeeper is not dangerous in and of itself. Moreover, I would assume users that use this app are familiar with the basics. And if they aren’t, you shouldn’t use the UI like a help doc.
As even a power user, this iteration makes me apprehensive about using this app. Especially danger zones? There is no irreparable harm that can be done by this app is there? Moreover, true danger zones in UI are actions that cannot be undone (like account deletion). So using it here, like this, is not good.
It would be best to use an antonym for Quarantine rather than explain the action in a sentence. Free/Release/Discharge all work and communicate in a single word what will happen. The hurdle is education but it’s a low bar for entry and worth the UI points we bank. A single sentence explaining the action follows.
Same goes for signing authority. Don’t need to be so verbose.
Then write up a few paragraphs about each function and toss it into the help section for a call back. Wrap it and ship.
I agree with above and actually had the same thoughts about making gatekeeper less prominent and balance between functionalitty and explaining it.
What was done is to improve clarity based on the existing layout without going into much prolonged rewrite towards what would be ideal.
Let's not overthink what is a casual app most of users would run just once at occasion.
So what's the consensus here then? The original GUI for the app was very minimalistic with simple info popover buttons to offer some explanation if needed. I was of the same train of thought initially that the GUI of an app shouldn't be too verbose, but since I don't have any background in UX/UI, I deferred to the offered suggestions in this issue.
I merged the PR, I left mostly everything as it was, just wasn't too fond of showing the app version/build in the status bar. There's the whole About tab in Settings for that. Also added your name in the About tab for assisting with the UI/UX stuff.