Filter selection is confusing

[alexbbrown]

I have used fedifinder about 5 times

Last week the ui was upgraded to a more elegant one with more functions.

However since then I remain confused about the filter view and which and whether to press the buttons there.

I want to have my friends use this without confusion or worry, even if it's their first time, so I want to share my concerns and suggestions for your consideration

For me the current ui has the following downsides

• unclear what if any action is most appropriate for most users
• 4 buttons, each having different combinations of colors. Which are automatically done? Which have I already pressed. Why are they formatted as a triple and a single? Is the triple of "crypto"/"scan list"/"skip list" related in some way?
• Scan list and scan followers are different colors. Does that mean one was already been done?
• I only want my followings, is that what's currently selected (hard to tell)?
• I'm anxious not to accidentally and irreversibly follow all my followers, but I can't tell if it will do that

Suggestion:

1. incluse a button "following" that's unambiguously pressed, above the other selectors
2. separate lists with a title. Add text to explain what a list is and why the members af the list are interesting to import. Make it clear what happens if I neither scan nor skip. Perhaps make skipping the default and remove that button.
3. clearly include a heading "optional" over the other buttons, with a description indicating most users don't need them, and a note indicating that if you export your followers and import those to mastodon, you should take care not to make them into your followings there? Is that a thing
4. use color and a label to unambiguously.indicate which are at active and contributing to the output
5. consider requiring the user download followers separately from followings is there a danger they might be commingled and uploaded wrong

[lucahammer]

At the moment, I remove the buttons after they got clicked and add the information in the list of already scanned accounts. I understand that this can be confusing. Especially because the list is split by actual requests instead of logical separation. I will improve that in the future and make it easier to select what to export.

As a quick fix I would change the text to make it clearer that the followings already got scanned and the other things are optional. I changed the scan followers button to the same color as the scan lists button.

[lucahammer]

Another option would be to keep the buttons visible, but inactive. But I fear it would be confusing that the "scan followings" button could not be used because it is executed automatically (what the majority needs).