Use of brackets?

June 9, 2007 7:03 AM

I always click on "N favorites" rather than "+" to add a favorite, because I'm tripped up by the two links in one set of brackets. Would it be obscenely contentious to request that we alter this: [2 favorites +] [!] to this: [2 favorites] [+] [!] Thanks!
posted by DenOfSizer to Feature Requests at 7:03 AM (40 comments total)

My usability class taught that screen readers don't do well with consecutive links separated only by whitespace, so that's a potential second reason to change it. I don't know how many of MeFi's readers are using screenreaders, though.
posted by Tuwa at 7:11 AM on June 9, 2007

Me like mister Den's suggestion.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:23 AM on June 9, 2007

Ha! That's just cuz yer dumb!!!!

Sorry. Actually, I do the same thing. Good idea! But, adding a space and another bracket to the layout... this could take a while.

That may also explain my low favorites count. Can we just start MeFi all over?
posted by The Deej at 7:31 AM on June 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

[This would be good] [+]
posted by dmd at 7:33 AM on June 9, 2007

If it was the way you suggest, I would have to ask that it be made the way it is now. Favorites are one thing. Flagging is another. Brackets group like things. And if you hover with your mouse (should you have the capability), each item within the bracket is highlighted separately, indicating they are distinct, but related.
posted by Eideteker at 7:39 AM on June 9, 2007

Yeah, it used to be separate, but then we plopped them together because it makes more sense that way. The same functions reside within a single set of brackets because they're both related.

It's not a big deal is it? If you accidentally click, you just go back and click again, right? It doesn't seem like a big enough problem to warrant changing the UI.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:03 AM on June 9, 2007

if you always do this, and you know you always do this, then next time you almost do this, you think "hey i always do this, and i know i always do this, which is why i am remembering that i always do this, so this time i won't do this". and then the next time you almost do this, you'll remember the last time you almost did this, and you'll remember that you remembered that you almost did this the last time and didn't, and you'll not do this again. and it just keeps getting better and better.
posted by quonsar at 8:11 AM on June 9, 2007 [5 favorites]

[add to favorites][!]
posted by blue_beetle at 8:16 AM on June 9, 2007

Yeah, I've done this a couple of times. Perhaps two or three spaces between the "N favorites" and the "+" sign?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:31 AM on June 9, 2007

I expect part of the problem is that the brackets indicate an action link everywhere they're used, except for the current favorite count.
posted by scottreynen at 8:33 AM on June 9, 2007

[2 favorites, add]

Would make the link a little bigger, for easy clicking. It doesn't work so well for removing favorites though - subtract/remove are a bit too long.

[3 favorites, remove]

Isn't too bad..
posted by Chuckles at 8:53 AM on June 9, 2007

[this comment has been favorited 5 times, click the following plus sign to add to your list of favorite comments: +]

There ya go Matt.
posted by The Deej at 9:45 AM on June 9, 2007

I always do the same thing.
posted by 517 at 10:10 AM on June 9, 2007

You couldn't just tuck a pipe between them, like you do with "My Profile | Log out"?

[2 favorites | +]
posted by Tuwa at 10:19 AM on June 9, 2007

[seconding | pipe ]
posted by 31d1 at 10:24 AM on June 9, 2007

The pipe is kind of nice. And it's nice that for once I'm not just looking at a unicode character my browser doesn't support.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:30 AM on June 9, 2007

What, you think we're all looking at some stupid vertical line? My browser shows this.
posted by languagehat at 10:39 AM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: They want the pipe.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:42 AM on June 9, 2007

"It doesn't seem like a big enough problem to warrant changing the UI."

No, but maybe we need to change the U.
posted by Eideteker at 10:54 AM on June 9, 2007

What about if we built a computer program that would favorite things FOR us? The computer program I speak of would systematically browse everyone's posting and commenting history, do a thorough background check, and yes, essentially learn each one of us to the point where it could favorite things in our stead. This program would be so flawless, so perfect that it would even unfavorite a comment if someone's sense of humor were to change or if they suddenly renounced a certain hobby or interest. This program, which I call The MeFi AutoFav-o-Tronic 2000, will revolutionize favoriting as we know it.
posted by ORthey at 10:56 AM on June 9, 2007

That should be "Metafilter: tuck a pipe between them".
posted by puke & cry at 10:57 AM on June 9, 2007

You favorited: 'butts lol amirite' posted by cortex  
You may also enjoy favoriting:[+] 'u r so rite' posted by jessamyn[+] 'I have a PhD in ass appreciation, bitch.' posted by s. mixalot[+] 'You want to know about loling the butts?  One time I was at a bar withChuck Norris and he wasn't wearing pants, okay, and...' posted by tkchrist

This could work.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:25 AM on June 9, 2007

I used to think the flagging option, "Fantastic Post," meant the post was fantastical and as such didn't belong on Metafilter. Do you think maybe you could change that for stupid people like me?
posted by Citizen Premier at 11:53 AM on June 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

Needs a sliding scale
[-x\+/x-] e.g., ironic - almost fantastic
posted by acro at 12:51 PM on June 9, 2007

[x|+|x] (w/pipes) ooh and make them different colours.
posted by acro at 12:52 PM on June 9, 2007

if you always do this, and you know you always do this, then next time you almost do this, you think "hey i always do this, and i know i always do this, which is why i am remembering that i always do this, so this time i won't do this". and then the next time you almost do this, you'll remember the last time you almost did this, and you'll remember that you remembered that you almost did this the last time and didn't, and you'll not do this again. and it just keeps getting better and better.

If this worked, wouldn't you have stopped commenting by now?

(" ,)
posted by The God Complex at 1:36 PM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

if you always do this, and you know you always do this...

Then this means 1 of 2 things:

1) The user interface is generally confusing and should be fixed.

2) Perhaps the person always "doing this" is a bit different than the general population when it comes to viewing interfaces.

I don't know which it is, but as an example: I always screw up going through certain comcast menus because the user interface is just nonintuitive and craptacular. In fact, it intuitively seems like certain buttons SHOULD lead you somewhere, so much so that I make the same damn mistake all the time. This isn't my fault, this is crap interface.

I like the idea of separating them by a pipe and was going to suggest it before seeing it already had been. What would also make sense would be to prioritize the interface buttons.

What are you more likely to want to do? Add it as a favorite, or view a list of people who've added it as a favorite?

I'm more interested in favoriting something than seeing who favorited it, so I think that interface element should probably come first.
posted by twiggy at 1:46 PM on June 9, 2007

Matt, I'd agree it's good that the error can be corrected, but wouldn't it be better to prevent it from happening?

I can't figure out what some of the positions on it are (10 of them actually) but it looks like nine of the eleven people who have made their position clear so far have said it's a problem.
posted by Tuwa at 2:07 PM on June 9, 2007

To be clear: My opinion is, the interface should be better, and can be better with just a slight change. I do click the right place now, but there was a little bit of a curve. Changing it would certainly not confuse anyone who is used to how it is, and may help clarify for new or infrequent users. Or dumb people.
posted by The Deej at 2:29 PM on June 9, 2007

On a somewhat unrelated note, I find the narrowness of the bang as a flagging link makes it harder to click than it would otherwise be -- which is a great example of good user interface design, as flags should be marked only by determined people who care enough to work that extra little bit harder.

So Matt, if you're feeling beat up about the favorites thing, here's a little box of props for the flagging thing.
posted by davejay at 3:05 PM on June 9, 2007

Yep, davejay, I think there was a MeTa not too long ago, which I am too lazy to find, about the exclamation point being only 2 pixels wide.

I seem to recall that Matt is working on a way to implement a half-pixel wide exclamation point, for the the very reasons you state.

Or I could, once again, be full of shit.
posted by The Deej at 3:48 PM on June 9, 2007

If this must be done, I would prefer the pipe. I don't like this whole [20 Favorites] [+] thing, though. They're related info-bits, so they should be together.
posted by !Jim at 4:56 PM on June 9, 2007

It's not exactly a butterfly ballot, but yeah, it could be better. I like the pipe. (btw, it's Ms. Den, flapjack.)
posted by DenOfSizer at 5:43 PM on June 9, 2007

I thought it was pronounced: "snap into a slim Jim."
posted by Methylviolet at 7:04 PM on June 9, 2007

I can't figure out if it's "bang Jim" or "not Jim."
posted by Tuwa at 7:12 PM on June 9, 2007

!Jim, of the !Kung.
posted by casarkos at 7:53 PM on June 9, 2007

Everybody bang Kung tonight?
posted by Tuwa at 7:55 PM on June 9, 2007

(btw, it's Ms. Den, flapjack.)

Oops. Apologies, DenOfSizer.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:21 PM on June 9, 2007

Is there a way to make the ! in !Jim a half pixel wide?
posted by The Deej at 11:15 PM on June 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

I presume his favorite band is !!!
No worries, flapjax@12, 'sawight to waffle on gender.
posted by DenOfSizer at 2:51 AM on June 10, 2007