Admin Console's satellite photos download page

[holta]

0. Click http://box.lan/admin > Install Content > Get Map Regions ...and then later on, after that's done... Get Map Addons

1. Large squares (1000x1000km) should really be the default so that people have a better chance of figuring out there's a square/region at the tip of their mouse pointer. @avni, [ @georgejhunt ] and I had a call about this on 2020-09-08, and all 3 of us agreed the user-interface can be extremely confounding and maddening for first time folks "wandering in off the street" trying to figure out...what on earth they're supposed to do! So we need tricks (like a bright/large 1000x1000 km square as the mouse pointer, etc) on their 1st visit to this page especially.

2. Newcomers get mad frustrated (exasperated etc, the polite words ;) not knowing they're supposed to click on the map and why...and where is this leading!? Setting their expectations is not easy, for sure, but it's absolutely necessary so they don't give up. If nothing else, let's restore a few Very Prominent Words to the effect of: "Click the Map (where you want Hi-Res Satellite Photos)" as seen at https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2458907/94740848-46c4eb00-0341-11eb-93ea-e3e4758dce48.png

3. Can the ~3 radio button choices {100x100 km, 300x300 km, 1000x1000 km} come together in one space? In the Chrome browser screenshot below, these 3 choices are scattered top to bottom at the absolute maximum resolution of my screen (1366x768).

4. Geographically-inclined implementers always crave details (e.g. pixels represent 19x19 m at Level 13, vs 305x305 m at level 9, etc) outlining what the maps/satellite photos are all about, and hints as to how they might be most useful for kids etc. So while we certainly can't answer all these questions (a popular topic, colorful "guided discovery" curriculum is Always needed by teachers/parents etc) ...let's point ppl in the right directions. Including a link at the top-or-bottom of the page (or wherever on this page) to https://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Maps so committed/eager people can look behind the curtain, getting more of those contextual/landscape/open source/community questions they're needing.

Background: Avni came up with most of these very same (excellent) usability recommendations 6-7 weeks ago, which we, I & George then implemented off of https://github.com/iiab/iiab/pull/2551 — let's not lose track of these important 1st-time-implementer patterns, so the workflow/clickflow quickly makes sense to people who have no background at all with IIAB...and might not even know much about Google Maps/OSM (:

(I think the above covers most of Avni's/our conclusions from early September? But if there's any I forgot @avni please mention!)

[holta]

See merged PR:

"support lower resolution screens" https://github.com/iiab/iiab-admin-console/pull/359

[tim-moody]

Large squares (1000x1000km) should really be the default

I agree that the small box is hard to see.

But I don't like the cost of a 5 hour download and half a gig of space when I really just want higher resolution around the city where IIAB is deployed.

There is the standard mouse pointer so you do know where you are, but a fixed width circle with cross hairs that would indicate a center might be nice if anyone knows how to do it.

Perhaps A/B testing using Admin Console and Installer would indicate user preferences.

[holta]

fixed width circle with cross hairs

Why circle?

Isn't the square more appropriate to show what's happening, outlining what's going to be downloaded?

But I don't like the cost of a 5 hour download and half a gig of space when I really just want higher resolution around the city where IIAB is deployed.

People click the radio buttons regardless, as they try to figure out what's the point.

A larger square (growing near the poles, shrinking near the equator) isn't perfect but seems to be the best thing so far to viscerally illustrate "what on earth is happening (and why)" from the get-go.

If the initial map is displayed pre-zoomed into...Italy or some recognizable continent...that might allow much larger squares so more people understand what's going on.

Of course a large square is still not enough for some people, who need a narrative alongside regardless!

Ref: PR iiab/iiab-admin-console#360 (fiddle with screen size and prompts)

[myself248]

Having just interacted with this for the first time, I found it super obvious what the small square was indicating, and it's super cool how it changes size when I click the different radio buttons. No trouble there.

However, once I selected an area, I expected it to leave an "ink stamp" on the map, for lack of a better term. So I could go click a few more areas (I'd rather select a handful of 100x100 regions, and have just what's relevant, than a giant 1000x1000 region and waste a lot of disk space.) and know which areas I'd already clicked.

See also, #2618.

[tim-moody]

@myself248 when you click to select an area (of one of 3 sizes) you should see a red square indicating the selection that remains even if you move the cursor away. However, it does not support multiple selections at the same time. You need to select and process (problem of #2618 noted). I'll have to think about how to support multiple selections. It might get out of hand if they pass out of view and then you also need a deselect mechanism. It's certainly simpler to select and process each area individually.

In future development I hope to display all downloaded areas with blocks on the map with something to indicate what the block is. This is waiting for the addition of Wikidata Points of Interest overlays.

[georgeHunt]

Hi, I think you must've included the wrong George Hunt on git as I'm not part of this project! Hope he didnt miss much.

On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 1:29 PM Tim Moody notifications@github.com wrote:

@myself248 https://github.com/myself248 when you click to select an area (of one of 3 sizes) you should see a red square indicating the selection that remains even if you move the cursor away. However, it does not support multiple selections at the same time. You need to select and process (problem of #2618 https://github.com/iiab/iiab/issues/2618 noted). I'll have to think about how to support multiple selections. It might get out of hand if they pass out of view and then you also need a deselect mechanism. It's certainly simpler to select and process each area individually.

In future development I hope to display all downloaded areas with blocks on the map with something to indicate what the block is. This is waiting for the addition of Wikidata Points of Interest overlays.

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/iiab/iiab/issues/2598#issuecomment-722377977, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ARIHYUS6BKEVPSM5NUVCGQDSOKSCHANCNFSM4TBQUD2Q .

[holta]

the wrong George Hunt

Fixed above, Apologies!

[holta]

Some documentation cleanup is definitely still needed here & there.

I can help in coming weeks to tidy up here & there, so that newbies don't become disoriented!

• 1028