Inline Flag Notes (Take 2) May 9, 2016 4:54 PM   Subscribe

Last week we tested a new feature that would let people add notes to their flags. We listened to your feedback and incorporated many suggestions. You can try out the new version in this thread.

This time around you'll notice that flags are still added inline with a new option, 'add note...' 'specify reason...'. When you choose to specify a reason you'll see a box appear in the page below the post or comment where you can write a note. Click 'Add Note' and that will send the note. You can click 'Cancel' if you decide not to add a note.

There's a new flag glyph that should be supported across more devices. And if you're on a device that doesn't support web fonts, you should see the standard exclamation point.

This feature is only available here in this thread while we get feedback and work on bugs. If you spot something off you can mention it here or via the Contact Form. Thanks!
posted by pb (staff) to Feature Requests at 4:54 PM (178 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite

I like the other flag better.

EDIT: The one that is fully filled in, I mean.
posted by Literaryhero at 4:56 PM on May 9, 2016 [6 favorites]


I like the new flag more. I guess we must fight!
posted by The Devil Tesla at 5:07 PM on May 9, 2016 [17 favorites]


Like last time, we're looking for weirdness and broken bits; this iteration should in theory see fewer problems in a variety of contexts since the elements and behavior involved are a lot closer to what's already present in a normal mefi thread, but there might be odd bits we couldn't turn up testing it on the staging server.

The actual implementation details got talked about a lot in the previous thread, so we don't necessarily want to start from scratch there; if you're curious about what we've tried, consider giving the previous thread a skim. That said, questions and discussion are fine.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:08 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


So I've discovered that if you flag all the comments in this thread so far, you can't see the flag icon anymore. I therefore remain neutral.
posted by zachlipton at 5:16 PM on May 9, 2016


I like it! Although now that the new pop-up Add Note box is right next to the pull-down menu, it really emphasizes how teeny the pull-down text is.
posted by zeptoweasel at 5:18 PM on May 9, 2016


So you can flag as normal *or* add a note, but not both? Is that right?
posted by motty at 5:19 PM on May 9, 2016


That is correct. You can use the note to specify why you're flagging.
posted by pb (staff) at 5:20 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


Flagged as "I can't un-flag a flag." Not that that's a big deal, just a fact.
posted by ctmf at 5:26 PM on May 9, 2016 [12 favorites]


Flag glyph:

In WinXP/Firefox it renders OK but is a little pixellated compared to the rest of the text, like maybe it's not getting ClearType smoothing?
In WinXP/Chrome also a little pixellated, and it's sitting a few pixels lower than in Firefox such that the base of the flag is on the same baseline as the feet of the square braces.

Functionality:

The "add note..." wording is confusing -- it makes it sound like I can add a note to any of the other flag options, as was the case in the previous trial. But that isn't the case -- picking any of the other options immediately flags the post with no way to undo it or to add a note to it.

Not clear what the difference is between "other" and "add note..." -- they seem pretty much the same thing, just one allows me to add some text. Could maybe be combined into a single "other..."?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:26 PM on May 9, 2016 [6 favorites]


flagged as: never trust new features from lame duck sysadmins.
posted by gwint at 5:27 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


But yeah, I agree the "Add note" language is confusing. Perhaps "Specify reason..."?
posted by gwint at 5:29 PM on May 9, 2016


We talked about both possibilities, of having "other" turn into the note-prompting choice vs. adding a discrete "add note..." option. We went in this direction partly out of a concern that functionally eliminating the catch-all "other" flag for basic flagging could leave folks used the current system stymied when they wanted to make a non-specific flag but not add a note.

We also talked about "other, specify..." as a possibility for the new note-prompting label; the main concern there is the overloading of both an "other" and an "other, specify..." flag might make it difficult to unambiguously communicate about the new functionality.

The current label isn't set in stone, but that's how we ended up with what we've got currently. We can definitely think about alternate wordings.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:30 PM on May 9, 2016


"other, specify..."

I think that might be preferable but this is definitely what I had in mind when I was envisioning it in my head. Works nicely, very unobtrusive.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 5:38 PM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]


"Add note" implies that you can select a reason and also add a note. I like gwint's suggestion of "Specify reason..." for the note choice.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:40 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Count me among those who found it weird that you couldn't add a note to one of the built-in flag types, though maybe the expectation was primed by the post description.
posted by Aleyn at 5:41 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Add vs specify is a good point, yeah; getting rid of that idea of "and another thing" that add might communicate would help make the role clearer.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:41 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


This flag glyph is much better. It does not offend my delicate sensibilities.
(Professional designer/typographer since the 1980s.)
posted by D.C. at 5:43 PM on May 9, 2016 [6 favorites]


What about wording it "leave note" instead of "add note"? "Adding" suggests there is something you are adding the note to, e.g. one of the other selections.
posted by lollusc at 5:44 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


a little pixellated compared to the rest of the text, like maybe it's not getting ClearType smoothing?

I got curious and magnified it. It's anti-aliased, but doesn't have the color fringes that the ClearType-ed text in the rest of the line does. Makes it look a little ... crunchier? ... than the surrounding text.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:46 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


if not other, specify... then maybe just specify...?

(i was surprised when i flagged and then found i couldn't "add note" afterwards).
posted by andrewcooke at 5:46 PM on May 9, 2016


I'm trying to be the obnoxious user that does what you're not supposed to do, so I'm flagging but leaving notes empty.
posted by teponaztli at 5:46 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm trying to be the obnoxious user that does what you're not supposed to do, so I'm flagging but leaving notes empty.

A helpful instinct in testing! We decided ahead of time to allow that without a complaint from the system and gracefully fall back to a generic "other" flag, so, boom!

I got curious and magnified it. It's anti-aliased, but doesn't have the color fringes that the ClearType-ed text in the rest of the line does. Makes it look a little ... crunchier? ... than the surrounding text.

Yeah, the current flag glyph is a bit proof-of-concept; if we find we're happy with it and that the look of it is a little annoying to people because of rough edges, we can get someone more experienced with font-wrangling to give it a little professional love.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:48 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


The hollow flag looks like the letter "P" to me, sorry. It's because my eyes are bad, but I can't help my eyes being bad.

When trying "Add Note..." the page reformatted as if to a mix of portrait and landscape css breakpoints. This is on an iPad in landscape view, Classic theme.
posted by ardgedee at 5:48 PM on May 9, 2016 [17 favorites]


On an iPhone 4s it looks like a hreyish, blocky "P".

You wouldn't have this problem if you had gone with a pennant, just sayin'.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:51 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


This is fantastic. Damn, we are going to miss you, pb.
posted by grouse at 5:54 PM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]


Sounds like 'add note...' wasn't working. We just updated it to 'specify reason...'
posted by pb (staff) at 5:56 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


I thought drunk P, but yeah.

I also am curious about how you decide the order of the flags in the dropdown menu. Is it based on frequency of use?

Also, also, unrelated curiosity. Has there been an increase in flags over the past week or so since we started talking about this? I never really flag, but I am more aware of it as something to do now and I wonder if other users are the same.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:57 PM on May 9, 2016


I also am curious about how you decide the order of the flags in the dropdown menu. Is it based on frequency of use?

Tradition! I have no recollection of how the originally ordering came to be.

Also, also, unrelated curiosity. Has there been an increase in flags over the past week or so since we started talking about this?

I haven't particularly noticed an uptick, but there may have been a mild one.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:58 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


You may have mentioned this in the last thread, but do these end up as MeMail, or go somewhere else?
posted by teponaztli at 6:01 PM on May 9, 2016


Could the little p like flag be a bit animated, waving, and how about user defined colors or randomly using flags of the world!!
posted by sammyo at 6:04 PM on May 9, 2016


These are cool!
posted by sammyo at 6:05 PM on May 9, 2016


I actually like it a lot, the one time I flagged something I immediately realized my meaning was not clear and emailed the mods. but this is better.
posted by sammyo at 6:06 PM on May 9, 2016


On iPad it hoses the page layout, requiring a reload.

pictures
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:15 PM on May 9, 2016


Thanks for the iPad reports. It should look better now after a reload.
posted by pb (staff) at 6:24 PM on May 9, 2016


Sorry, I'm skimming and may have missed something, but I *really* don't like that you can't add a note unless you read through the entire list first and choose the correct option to do so.
posted by lazuli at 6:26 PM on May 9, 2016


What took you so long, pb? šŸ˜‰

Works fine now.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:30 PM on May 9, 2016


This is great, I think it's a big improvement over both the old system and last week's test.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:30 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


I mean, "Specify reason" makes it seem like "All these other reasons do not apply," which is often not going to be true. "Add reason" is the same.
posted by lazuli at 6:30 PM on May 9, 2016


"Add longer explanation" would be my suggestion for wording.
posted by lazuli at 6:31 PM on May 9, 2016


The flag icon on Win10/Firefox must be slightly taller than the rest of the line because when you click on it generating the drop down box the rest of the page jumps up a pixel or two.
posted by Mitheral at 6:34 PM on May 9, 2016


If one of the other reasons applies, then select it. If you get to the bottom without finding an applicable reason, specify. I'm not sure how it could be made better?

On preview: "Add [something]" implies that one can select a reason and then add an explanation, which isn't the case. It was discussed earlier in the thread.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:36 PM on May 9, 2016


Lovin' this. I could quibble, but quibbling is all it would be. For me, on my device, it's fine. Biggest quibble might be that the flag glyph is a little funny-looking, but it sounds like you're already on that.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:38 PM on May 9, 2016


Checked the original new-flagging thread in hopes that Version 1 had been preserved there as a permanent isolated oddity, but no. Sensibly reverted to default flagging. Probably for the best.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:39 PM on May 9, 2016


My frustration with it it sometimes due to clunky fingers, I hit the wrong flag reason. So if I hit a flag reason that doesn't have a write-in box, I can't reverse that to go back to where I can write something in. Not sure what my technical solution would be here, but I kind of liked the old design better.
posted by Conspire at 6:41 PM on May 9, 2016


Edge case: things get a little weird in Mac Firefox if you use the arrow keys to select an option in the dropdown and then cancel.

(1) Click flag icon.
(2) Hit down arrow.
(3) Click [x] to cancel.
(4) Flag submits rather than cancelling ("[Flagged]" appears).

If you use the arrows to select "specify reason ..." and then click [x], the form appears and disappears for a moment.
posted by john hadron collider at 6:42 PM on May 9, 2016


Layout problem with Classic theme on iPad is fixed.

Thanks!
posted by ardgedee at 6:43 PM on May 9, 2016


I think Other should require specification. This makes the ontology less awkward.

I miss [!].
posted by anotherpanacea at 6:45 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


Second nitpicky edgecase: in Chrome and Firefox, if you click the flag and then cancel, the hover text changes from "flag this post" to "flag this".

Also, maybe this is a good moment to switch the hover text to "flag this comment" instead of "post," which would be consistent with the hover text for the favorite button?
posted by john hadron collider at 6:48 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


Works fine on my tablet (Android 5.something) . Like the look too. Less obtrusive than the last time, but still distinct enough.
posted by bonehead at 6:49 PM on May 9, 2016


This design is really sad for those of us with bad vision and motor issues. So much harder to hit :(
posted by Aranquis at 6:50 PM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]


I like "specify reason" but now the button under the new inline Note text input box still says "Add Note" and it's a bit wrong. I like the simple, standard "Submit" for that button text.
posted by carsonb at 6:58 PM on May 9, 2016


carsonb, it should say 'Flag Reason'. You might have a cached version.
posted by pb (staff) at 6:59 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


Overall this is fantastic.

Classic mobile: the "pick a reason to flag" bar is significantly smaller than the rest of the text, and once you've opened it by clicking the flag there's some odd resetting of all text sizes and the page layout.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:03 PM on May 9, 2016


soundguy99, what OS & browser combo are you using?
posted by pb (staff) at 7:10 PM on May 9, 2016


This may be intentional, but if I click the flag so that the 'pick a reason to flag' button comes up, and then navigate elsewhere (with the button still open, but out of view), clicking on a different flag doesn't work. The first time I did it I didn't realize it and thought flagging was broken. This is on Android Chrome.
posted by forforf at 7:22 PM on May 9, 2016 [5 favorites]


I like the implementation on my phone, this seems nicely done. The flag itself looks like a crappy P, I still much prefer ye olde exclamation point both visually and functionally.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:22 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


This is much better. Bravo!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:26 PM on May 9, 2016


Is there any way to make the drop down list default open when you click the flag? Now I click the flag and then click again to open the drop down menu. It seems like a wasted click.
posted by Literaryhero at 7:33 PM on May 9, 2016


And to pick nits, the hover text 'Flag this post' (or 'Flag this' as mentioned above) has a capital F, but the X cancel button says 'cancel' with a lowercase c.
posted by Literaryhero at 7:36 PM on May 9, 2016


i like this a lot.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:49 PM on May 9, 2016


I like "specify reason", but boy, now that sounds a lot like "other". Do we need both of them?
posted by yhbc at 8:00 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Firefox on Linux, modern theme, the text in the menu is greyed out almost to the point on unreadability. http://imgur.com/a/Ja9I6
posted by russm at 8:10 PM on May 9, 2016


I thought drunk P, but yeah.

Drunk P'd for offensive. Some of my best friends P drunk.
posted by ctmf at 8:12 PM on May 9, 2016


Ooh, I also like that if I click out of the select box, it closes, but If I click anywhere else on the page again, the whole thing goes away. That makes it easy to "never mind, forget it."
posted by ctmf at 8:14 PM on May 9, 2016


soundguy99, what OS & browser combo are you using?

Sorry, got distracted.

Android 5.1, Chrome.

Lemme see if I can grab a couple of screenshots and email 'em to you.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:20 PM on May 9, 2016


It's great.
posted by Miko at 8:21 PM on May 9, 2016


I sent in a bug report about using this with forced font selection re visually-impaired readers. Other than that, it looks good! Thanks!
posted by introp at 8:29 PM on May 9, 2016


The functionality is really great, but I, too, miss [!]. Were there no ways to solve the problems of the narrow click space for the exclamation mark other than to replace it altogether?
posted by tavegyl at 8:43 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


I also miss !

The new flag glyph does render properly on both my Modern Dark iPhone 5 and my Classic Dark tablet though.
posted by nat at 8:46 PM on May 9, 2016


buttttt you can flag, specify other, then hit enter and it will make a blank notification (i.e. it will show as flagged). A blank notification should probably be ignored
posted by Sebmojo at 8:48 PM on May 9, 2016


So I thought the "new flag glyph" was a letter P and that was puzzling me.

"!" was perfect. Kind of a long narrow visual "what the shit!"
posted by Miko at 8:48 PM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]


The new flag is so small I can't tell what it is, sort of scribbly. I don't know why everyone is seeing it so differently, but the flag in the last tester thread was a perfect size to be clear what it was a picture of.

Also I'm sorry about the several flags that resulted when I found out that the new test does not have several steps to flag, but instead irrevocably flags things. (Makes sense, it's just that I came right from the old thread, right after I reloaded it and the lovely flags vanished.)

I'm excited about the text box -- I've used the contact form before, but I find it surprisingly clumsy to explain what thread I'm in and where, as well as the problem. Having this already linked to all that helps a great deal.
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:20 PM on May 9, 2016


I'm seeing a bug where the add note box floats above the Metafilter banner. Here's a picture. This is an iPhone 5 with iOS 9. Scroll down (so the box goes off the top of the page), then scroll up again.

It seems to be working okay otherwise, though.
posted by Banknote of the year at 9:30 PM on May 9, 2016


push button receive bacon specify reason
posted by Rhomboid at 9:39 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I am reading this thread without my glasses on because I am in bed. When I look at the flag icon for a minute and then look away, all the plus icons look wavy, too.
Other than that it seems fine.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:50 PM on May 9, 2016


Thanks, Banknote of the year, that floating box problem should be fixed.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:58 PM on May 9, 2016


Testy McTesterson
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:02 PM on May 9, 2016


And another...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:02 PM on May 9, 2016


When I click the flag and specify reason on my iPhone the format gets all messed up and I have to reload the page to fix it.
posted by FireFountain at 10:07 PM on May 9, 2016


Actually the reformat seems to happen as soon as I click the flag. :-(
posted by FireFountain at 10:08 PM on May 9, 2016


Not seeing that FireFountain, which version of iOS are you using and which browser?
posted by pb (staff) at 10:13 PM on May 9, 2016


Love it. I would KNIDDA LIIKE a way to see your 'specify reason...' instead of Flagged but otherwise very usable with no negative change to regular flagging.
posted by kittensofthenight at 10:34 PM on May 9, 2016


Safari and Version 9.3.1.
posted by FireFountain at 10:34 PM on May 9, 2016


Thanks FireFountain, I appreciate it. That's what I'm testing with here too. Can you describe how it's breaking for you?
posted by pb (staff) at 10:40 PM on May 9, 2016


The text layout goes from how I normally see it to a format that looks thinner, like it got squished from the sides and it also makes it so I can no longer zoom properly- zooming out seems to just not work after I click the flag.
posted by FireFountain at 10:43 PM on May 9, 2016


I think the flag icon should use ! as the flagpole as a nod to history.

...oh, you wanted useful feedback?
posted by scrump at 10:46 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


I like the filled-in flag. I just keep seeing a slightly melted P as my eyes skim across the page.
posted by barnacles at 10:47 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


http://imgur.com/QDVb3e3
http://imgur.com/jvSBUgy

I screenshot before and after and uploaded. Maybe it's just me and my phone hah. It's not that bad.
posted by FireFountain at 10:53 PM on May 9, 2016


I have the same issue as soundguy99 in chrome.

Prefer the filled in flag as also seeing the big P.
posted by biffa at 10:58 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I have to agree. The "empty" flag looks like a fading P and is harder to see clearly on my iPad.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 11:29 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]


I feel the the button that says "Add Note" is a bit unclear. First, because it's no longer called a Note, but a Reason. Second, because the wording suggests that you're "adding" the reason to something else (to the flag, I guess), so that makes me expect another step after this button, where you finish sending that something else. I suggest you label the button as "Submit".
posted by bleston hamilton station at 11:41 PM on May 9, 2016


In WinXP/Chrome also a little pixellated

WinXP has been completely unsupported for two years (mainstream support ended seven years ago), and Chrome on XP no longer receives security updates. Your machine is dangerous, and shouldn't be connected to the Internet.
posted by effbot at 12:39 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


flagging but leaving notes empty.

We decided ahead of time to allow that without a complaint from the system and gracefully fall back to a generic "other" flag, so, boom!


Why not just do this, with only the "Other" option button, and have "Reason (optional)" above the popup textbox? I think that's the sort of thing I'm used to seeing (so expect). If someone then clicked on "submit", I think it's reasonable to assume they probably meant to say "Other" and not offer further detail (because they would most likely just cancel out of there, if they clicked on "other" in error).

I think the flag looks like a flag, but I don't know if that's because I know it's supposed to be a flag.

I'm having no problems using Firefox (45.0.2) on a Mac (10.11.4 [finally]).
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:41 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


Actually, forget what I just said. I think I'm used to seeing that when a text box is immediately adjacent to an "Other" button. I think with the popup, people might wonder whether their non-note + Other button selection was registered.
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:54 AM on May 10, 2016


IIRC from the previous thread, people were having issues being able to accurately click or tap on the very narrow ! area.

Also, seconding forforf's bug mentioned above, but on Mac Safari.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:26 AM on May 10, 2016


My thought is maybe that we should have flags for both "Other" and "Other - specify reason".
posted by solarion at 3:42 AM on May 10, 2016


šŸ‘
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:48 AM on May 10, 2016


I also prefer the filled in flag.
posted by kimberussell at 5:34 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


Hurrah! This satisfies my vague feeling that there should be a flag option for "edit window abuse" or similar.
posted by metaBugs at 5:43 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


So, the complaint about the filled in flag was that it was too bold compared to the rest of the surrounding text: Canā€™t please all the people all the time :) There is a unicode white pennant, but it appears to be even less well supported than the white flag.

A bug?: On Chrome, If I click the flag & then press down-arrow, it immediately submits the flag. Since flags appear to be irrevocable, thereā€™s no way back from this :(

Looks-wise, the note dialog is still very loud compared to the rest of the site, but since you only see it when flagging maybe thatā€™s not the end of the world.

I still think a better workflow would be to be able to flag with a basic reason picked from the dropdown and then once flagged, have a a link appear next to ā€œFlaggedā€ that says ā€œadd noteā€ & clicking on that will bring up the note dialog. People might want to flag 'racism' and still add a small explanatory note for instance & at the moment thatā€™s not possible. Being able to add an explanatory note to a flag would also be helpful when people have flagged comments by accident, or just flagged the wrong comment, since flags are currently irrevocable.
posted by pharm at 5:57 AM on May 10, 2016


Flagged as Maurice Prendergast.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:07 AM on May 10, 2016


I still really really dislike the flag glyph and would strongly prefer sticking with the exclamation point. Do we have feedback that users are confused about what the exclamation point means, or how to flag something?
posted by Rock Steady at 6:09 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


A bug?: On Chrome, If I click the flag & then press down-arrow, it immediately submits the flag. Since flags appear to be irrevocable, thereā€™s no way back from this :(

I have this same behavior (also Chrome). It's definitely unfortunate for the more keyboard-inclined.
posted by tocts at 6:11 AM on May 10, 2016


I like the hollow flag better than the filled in flag, but I like the ! better than both. If the main problem with the ! was small clickable area, couldn't the surrounding brackets be made part of the link (but ideally nonetheless be given the color/style of the normal, non-link text)?
posted by nobody at 6:17 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


Similar thing on desktop Firefox.
If I flag then click the [x] to cancel, that works fine.
If I highlight a reason with the down arrow key and then click [x] it submits instead of cancelling!
posted by comealongpole at 6:18 AM on May 10, 2016


Love it, and the inline box looks perfectly matching now.
posted by lucidium at 6:57 AM on May 10, 2016


Functionally this is doing everything I want it to, but I do find that stoneweaver's comments about the text used really right on. It's a small box and "specify reason" fits in it, but a little more in-depth descriptive colloquial long formness would not be remiss.
posted by anotherpanacea at 7:23 AM on May 10, 2016


Similar thing on desktop Firefox.
If I flag then click the [x] to cancel, that works fine.
If I highlight a reason with the down arrow key and then click [x] it submits instead of cancelling!


Same on Chrome. Oh, the original was on Chrome. Well, confirming Chrome.
posted by dismas at 7:36 AM on May 10, 2016


Prefer the filled-in flag.

Capture it!
posted by Melismata at 8:07 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


I would put a little more padding between "Flag Reason" and the textarea. On Chrome / OS X 10.11 the focus highlight on the textarea cuts off the bottom of the 'g' in Flag. Just enough to match the space between the textarea and the buttons would work.

http://imgur.com/DJHfpMK

Also, instead of "Add Note" for the button I would say "Add Flag" or "Submit Flag" or something that suggests the finality of that step.
posted by jedicus at 8:15 AM on May 10, 2016


In this thread alone, I've flagged unintentionally twice (once, I didn't even know what the reason I ended up selecting was because I clicked unintentionally). It'd be really nice to have a way to undo or some sort of confirmation mechanism.
posted by R a c h e l at 8:27 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


A false flag is of no concern; it's aggregate counts that make things stick out and a single solitary flag doesn't rise above the noise floor. On the other hand if you accidentally flag something that is getting flagged then it just fades into the background.

TL; DR: no one should worry about the occasion accidental flag.
posted by Mitheral at 8:30 AM on May 10, 2016


A false flag is of no concern

:tinfoil:
posted by dismas at 8:39 AM on May 10, 2016 [4 favorites]


The non filled in flag looks like the letter P at first glance or from the corner of my eye, where as the filled in one didn't have that problem, it looked like a flag. Never had a problem with the exclamation point.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:46 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


I just updated things a bit which should help with the FF/Chrome down-arrow [x] problem.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:51 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


This design is really sad for those of us with bad vision and motor issues. So much harder to hit :(

Can you give a little more detail on what's different vs. your experience with the existing standard flag process? We're definitely aiming to go in the other direction there, so specifics about what's going on are super useful.

I think the flag icon should use ! as the flagpole as a nod to history.

We experimented with that a little; turns out that it was hard to sell visually at this scale, at least with our hacky visual design skills. (I also considered very briefly and somewhat goofily the idea of sticking an exclamation point on the body of the flag, as if it were the national flag of Flagistan, but I was pretty sure that would be totally unrecognizable at this scale even before I mocked it up to prove it to myself.)

In this thread alone, I've flagged unintentionally twice (once, I didn't even know what the reason I ended up selecting was because I clicked unintentionally).

Flagging errors happen in practice, and aren't a big deal; there's no loss of functionality there in this current test vs. the system as it exists, and in cases where a flag goof coincides with really needing to give the mods more info the standard process of just dropping us a line at the contact form after all would continue to apply.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:53 AM on May 10, 2016 [7 favorites]


Just one usability note: If a comment is near the bottom of the web page (I'm using Win 7 on my laptop), and I pick "specify reason ....", the reason box appears with the bottom half below the bottom of the window, i.e. I can't see the Add Note or Cancel buttons.

All I have to do is scroll the page a bit, but the first time it happened I did wonder how I was supposed to actually submit the flag.

I guess you could auto-scroll the page to make sure the buttons are in view (I think window.ensure_visible() or something similar is a method, no?), but this isn't a serious problem, and I wouldn't be the least bothered if you put it into production in its current form. I'm just reporting it as something that happened and y'all can decide if it'd be more of a problem for other people in other situations.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:27 AM on May 10, 2016


Tried doing this in VoiceOver on iOS 9.3, iPhone 5s.

The glyph looks like a flag, but when you navigate over it it says "exclamation mark". Not very helpful, and gives no indication that this is for flagging unless you are already familiar with that MetaFilter idiom.

Activating the flag link brings up the picker, whenI go down to 'Specify reason' and double tap nothing happens.

So, this is worse than the previous solution, which was flawed but actually let me use it. This is totally not working. Really disappointing that screen readers aren't part of the normal development / QA workflow.
posted by Space Coyote at 9:34 AM on May 10, 2016


OK, apparently it works if I click 'done' to deactivate the picker. This isn't standard for how that widget should work, I should be able to double tap the choice I want and then the picker can be made to go away on its own and I should be able to enter the flag reason then.
posted by Space Coyote at 9:36 AM on May 10, 2016


Thanks for the report, Space Coyote. We'll take a look at these. Clicking 'done' is how you make a selection in iOS—it's not something we're forcing on our end. There are some things we don't have control over.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:41 AM on May 10, 2016


a single solitary flag doesn't rise above the noise floor.

I have a sudden need for Stratego-themed house music.
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:54 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


Just confirming down arrow then [x] behaviour as expected now, thanks pb.
posted by comealongpole at 10:05 AM on May 10, 2016


I added an aria-label attribute to the flag link which VoiceOver should include now. We've always had a title attribute for the link, but VoiceOver doesn't include the title in every context. (It includes the title on OSX desktop, but not iOS for some reason.) Hopefully the additional element will help.

The exclamation point is a problem in every context. It doesn't indicate flagging and that's why we're experimenting with different options. Hopefully the additional info I added will help a little. Thanks again for letting us know.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:09 AM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: The exclamation point is a problem in every context.
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:18 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


I just updated things a bit which should help with the FF/Chrome down-arrow [x] problem.

Any chance (caching?) I'm not getting this update? I'm still seeing this issue. Tried a hard reload to no avail.
posted by tocts at 10:22 AM on May 10, 2016


Could be a browser-specific problem, tocts. Which are you using, which OS, and which MeFi theme?
posted by pb (staff) at 10:26 AM on May 10, 2016


This is Windows 7, Chrome 50.0.2661.94 (Official Build) m (32-bit), Modern theme.
posted by tocts at 10:29 AM on May 10, 2016


This is so much better. This is how I expected it last time.

The flag is showing -and working actually- on my phone but the spacing is messed up so the second bracket is over the flag. Which just looks weird, no huge deal. This is in whatever default thing is called 'internet' on a samsung S3 (which is a few years old but everything else works perfectly). It looks correct in the same browser on my few-months-old samsung tablet but I think that has a newer version of android.

I can't check on a computer until next weekend.
posted by shelleycat at 10:37 AM on May 10, 2016


Thanks tocts, yeah, I'm seeing wonky behavior on WIndows Chrome. I'll see if I can find a way to work around it.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:39 AM on May 10, 2016


Confirming the problems I mentioned above with classic mobile, Android 5, chrome, now are solved. Thanks, pb.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:43 AM on May 10, 2016


These threads always amaze that anything ever works on the web at all.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:05 AM on May 10, 2016 [9 favorites]


The non-filled in flag looks like a thorn to me.
þþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþ
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:24 AM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


Improved in every way over the last implementation. Nice work.
posted by eamondaly at 11:31 AM on May 10, 2016


Using a word like "Custom..." implies both "an option not on the list" and "prepare to fill in a reason"
posted by softlord at 12:01 PM on May 10, 2016 [3 favorites]


This is basically nitpicking, but now that the list selection says "specify reason," the form button which still says "Add Note" is somewhat confusing. Maybe "Send" or "Flag" instead?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:02 PM on May 10, 2016


It looks like a capital P to me. If I were new around here I'd be sort of confused by it, I think.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:02 PM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


The new version looks good to me, Chrome, el Capitan. The little wiggle helps differentiate it from the "P" appearance, at least to my eye.
posted by Miko at 12:04 PM on May 10, 2016


I've used it on Windows Chrome, El Capitan Chrome, and iOS Safari. All looking good! Thanks mods for being so responsive to feedback.
posted by capricorn at 12:35 PM on May 10, 2016


Iā€™m afraid Iā€™m still seeing the immediate flag behaviour with the down-arrow key on Chrome running on Chrome OS. Havenā€™t tried the desktop version yet.
posted by pharm at 12:38 PM on May 10, 2016


Just made an update that should help with keyboard issues on Windows Chrome. It might help on Chrome OS, pharm, but I don't have a Chrome machine to test with.
posted by pb (staff) at 12:59 PM on May 10, 2016


Another vote for filled-in flag. šŸ“
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 2:18 PM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


(The Flag of Death)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 2:18 PM on May 10, 2016


> I think the flag icon should use ! as the flagpole as a nod to history.

I don't think you'd really be able to make something that reads at that size. This is the best I could do, and it's totally cheating by nudging the small one around until the rasterised pixels were copacetic.
posted by lucidium at 3:11 PM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


Problem Use Case (Chrome on Windows):

1. Click on flag, pull down, click on Specify Reason...
2. Get distracted, scroll down and keep reading thread
3. Click on a another flag, on another comment.

Result: Nothing happens when you click on the second flag while the reasons box is up, and unless you remember that you're in the thread for testing out flags, you've got no reason to understand why nothing happens when you click on the second flag.
posted by sparklemotion at 3:25 PM on May 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


Or force everybody to use semaphores. šŸŽŒ
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:50 PM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


WinXP has been completely unsupported for two years (mainstream support ended seven years ago), and Chrome on XP no longer receives security updates. Your machine is dangerous, and shouldn't be connected to the Internet.

flagged as "noise".

(I don't disagree, but am stuck with it at my workplace unless/until there's budget for upgrading line-of-business apps from versions that don't work correctly on Win 7/8/10. This is not an uncommon situation. Firefox, FWIW, is still receiving updates on XP and is my primary browser for just that reason.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 4:58 PM on May 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


... does this mean pb is getting a severance? Getting all the last minute things in. You go pb.
posted by one4themoment at 5:47 PM on May 10, 2016


Samsung Galaxy S5: to get to the "specify reason" requires scrolling. I can see someone maybe not realizing it's there.
posted by salvia at 10:03 PM on May 10, 2016


Uhm. Doesn't 'Other' and 'Specify Reason' cover the same ground ??

'Other just seems unnecessarily vague ??

Apart from that, I like!
posted by Faintdreams at 1:35 AM on May 11, 2016


I preferred the exclamation mark from before, but I am getting a clickable flag icon now, unlike in the previous test.
posted by Dysk at 3:11 AM on May 11, 2016


Yeah, using "Other..." (With or without ellipsis) is the conventional semantic for "I don't see my thing on the list" and invites free form input. Separate "Other" and "Specify Reason..." fields implies a multi-step process or some other meaning of "Other" than is used elsewhere.
posted by ardgedee at 4:12 AM on May 11, 2016


I'm using the stock browser on an older Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone (Android 4.3), and I can't see the flag - just square brackets with a blank space between [ ]. In the earlier flag thread I can see an exclamation mark between the brackets [!].
posted by brushtailedphascogale at 4:17 AM on May 11, 2016


I think the decision to keep "other" and add "specify reason..." may have been at least partly driven by some comments in the previous thread where people were saying that they felt weird about flagging something as "other" when what they really wanted was "offensive/sexism/racism [and here's why]." Which makes sense to me, though I'm not personally in love with the current solution. (Not that I hate it, it's just not my very favorite solution.)

There was a proposal to make "send a note" into a link that appears next to the "flagged" indicator after one selects a flag, which to me would be an ideal way of handling it. That way the existing set of categories (including "other") would remain, and people could simply send a note to accompany their flag whenever they thought it was warranted. Then people wouldn't get into the mental trap of thinking, "This comment is racist, but I'm not sure the mods will understand why. Do I flag it as racist, flag it as racist and then send a note via the contact form, or flag it as "other" and then send a note?"

The current system seems to me like it doesn't really solve that problem. "Specify reason..." and "other" do seem a little bit redundant, and if I weren't familiar with the system I don't think it would be obvious to me that only "specify reason..." will bring up the send-a-note modal, or for that matter what the difference between "other" and "specify reason..." is. And if I wanted to flag something as "offensive-and-here's-why" or "display-error-and-here's-what-I-mean," I'd have to know that I need to skip over the apparently-correct first option and move down to the nebulous "specify reason..." option at the bottom.

So I can live with the current implementation if that's what we end up going with and I'll get used to using it the way the mods intend it to be used, but I'm not sure that it's at all intuitive how one is meant to use the flagging system under this version. It's a definitely improvement over Version 1, but I can still see some room for it to be even better and more clear.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:18 AM on May 11, 2016 [3 favorites]


There was a proposal to make "send a note" into a link that appears next to the "flagged" indicator after one selects a flag, which to me would be an ideal way of handling it.

I get the idea there, but there are a couple issues with it:

1. Breaking up the flag-and-note process so that, instead of being an atomic "it all happens at the same time" act, it's two discrete user events, creates complications in how we actually handle flag information in the admin interface and in our moment-to-moment workflow with viewing and dismissing flags. It introduces new technical and process assumptions that are outside of the scope of what we've worked out for this.

2. Allowing notes to be added to flags after the fact introduces a time element that hasn't existed in the past and which carries in a bunch of new complications. We have the likelihood of folks adding notes to flags after a mod has already seen, reviewed, and cleared out the flag itself. We have a question of whether to time-limit the window to add that note to prevent the worst sort of long-delay cases, and if that then settling on a correct time limit to keep things relatively sane process-wise but not cutting folks off too quickly to allow for interruptions or slow text entry. Etc.

The basic issue: keeping the process atomic keeps things simpler and makes this less of a change to the system, which is important given how much of our mod-side process is based around how flags are managed. Adding notes as a new factor is what we went into this contemplating, and we've thought about that for a long time off and on; adding an asynchronous noting-after-the-fact factor has not been part of that thinking and isn't something I'm ready to fold into the feature development process after the fact here. There's too much extra fiddliness and unknowns there.

Which mean that this dropdown-driven approach doesn't offer a good simple solution to marrying existing labels to added notes. The initial modal window test last week allowed that flexibility, which was part of why I liked it as a solution, but I think based on the issues we saw there that this direction is the better move for us to make. It's more reliably functional for users, and its less of a change of process and UI.

I think it's probably important to step back and reorient ourselves: there's been a ton of good feedback in these two threads, and also a lot of good brainstorming, but the thing we're doing here is primarily trying to accomplish a core change to a long-standing and pretty simple flagging process, and it's that process as it currently exists that should be the point of comparison for whatever change we make, not the various theoretical what-if versions of the process that don't actually exist yet. We need to not get trapped in a chase for an ideal version (which varies from person to person) to the point where settling on a relatively restrained addition to the existing process becomes intractable.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:45 AM on May 11, 2016


And, so, to restate the core goal here:

We're trying to make it possible for someone to provide a little bit of added context when flagging when a stock label isn't gonna be sufficient, but where using the contact form is a bit too heavy of an interaction.

We're not trying to supplant either of those options—simple flagging as it exists now, the contact form as it exists now—or to fundamentally rework the flagging process itself. We're not taking it as axiomatic that flag label + note is a necessary feature, when it has not been a possibility at all in the past.

If this current iteration does a reasonable job of accomplishing that core goal, that's good and probably where we should stop the process for now with a look toward launching it properly, knowing that it'll take a little bit of documentation and user education to get folks up to speed on the change but that we're better of moving forward on good than stalling indefinitely for perfect. Especially when we've got an external constraint on how long pb can keep working on this.

So I think there's some room to move on how exactly we label the "Specify..." item in the list, and whether or not to replace/overload the classic "other" item there. And we can think about how best to amend the flagging FAQ info to guide use of the new feature. But probably "what if we change it mechanically like so" is otherwise something we need to set aside at this point and work with the basic form its in.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:46 AM on May 11, 2016


I am happy with this stable of ponies and my only insufferable, ungrateful demand is for a filled-in flag that does not look like a P. That or go back to the !
posted by DarlingBri at 11:02 AM on May 11, 2016


Those are some really good points that I hadn't considered before. Given the constraints that you've laid out, I think something like the current implementation is a good way to go. I'd be about equally happy with any of "specify reason," "specify reasonā€¦," or "send a note." I agree that some user education will be necessary, especially new-user education, but I suppose that goes without saying regardless of the specifics of the implementation.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 11:03 AM on May 11, 2016


I propose that we be able to view the notes so we can favourite them.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:12 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]


So how about if we label that choice "Flag with note..."?
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 12:07 PM on May 11, 2016 [5 favorites]


I like that. It's very clear.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:15 PM on May 11, 2016


I like that a little better than "specify reason" I think. I'm in favor of the language used making explicit reference to a note, message, or explanation. I don't find "specify reasonā€¦" to be really awful or anything, but I like "flag with note" better. I still also like "send a note," for whatever that's worth.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:46 PM on May 11, 2016


I just updated the test to use the new option 'flag with note...'. I think it conveys that you're flagging the item with a detailed message rather than sending a note instead. It's all part of the same process.
posted by pb (staff) at 1:07 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]


So how about if we label that choice "Flag with note..."?

I like that. Thank you!
posted by lazuli at 1:15 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


1. Breaking up the flag-and-note process so that, instead of being an atomic "it all happens at the same time" act, it's two discrete user events, creates complications in how we actually handle flag information in the admin interface and in our moment-to-moment workflow with viewing and dismissing flags. It introduces new technical and process assumptions that are outside of the scope of what we've worked out for this.

Flagging already requires Javascript. Thereā€™s nothing stopping you from making the submission of the flag happen after the user has answered the ā€œAdd Note?ā€ question, making the submission of the flag & note (or no note) atomic from the POV of the backend.

If you want to smooth the existing flagging fast path, have the question exist for a few seconds & then disappear with the flag being submitted without note as it would have been in the original implementation.
posted by pharm at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2016


Flagging already requires Javascript. Thereā€™s nothing stopping you from making the submission of the flag happen after the user has answered the ā€œAdd Note?ā€ question, making the submission of the flag & note (or no note) atomic from the POV of the backend.

In the proposal I was responding to, we would have no way of knowing whether someone wasn't going to leave a note or simply had yet left one. That's the new temporal element I was talking about.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:35 PM on May 11, 2016


In this (hypothetical) implementation, flag submission from the browser to the server doesnā€™t happen until after the note choice (or it has timed out) so from the mod point of view thereā€™s no gap between flag submission & note.

An ā€œAdd Note? Yes/Noā€ pair of links would also work at the expense of adding one more click to the existing flag submission path & again the flag submission would happen at the end of the process.
posted by pharm at 3:42 PM on May 11, 2016


In the proposal I was responding to, we would have no way of knowing whether someone wasn't going to leave a note or simply had yet left one. That's the new temporal element I was talking about.

Ugh... is there a way of stamping the note with metadata (with what, information tying it to the original comment, the button flag &/or button flag time, the flagging user + button flag time &/or original comment... aaand no all those are bad).
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:19 PM on May 11, 2016


I still expect that if I click outside of the text box that it will go away, and it does not.

If I start to flag something, then stop/forget/whatever, I can't open another flag and it's pretty difficult to find where the old one was. This is probably unchanged from before, I just never looked.

Question: if I flag with note, do you see my name somehow attached to the note or do you need to search for that info?

As a hates-changer, I still prefer the exclamation mark to the flag, but the white one is much, much bettere than the black.
posted by jeather at 4:42 AM on May 12, 2016


have the question exist for a few seconds & then disappear

If you want to encourage using the feature, you need to not place some sort of countdown clock on it and certainly not make anything disappear. I think Flag with note is fine, the best of the options we've seen.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 7:10 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I agree; I really like "flag with note"!
posted by capricorn at 7:30 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


The white flag is definitely better than the black flag.
posted by klausness at 2:38 PM on May 12, 2016


I really like this feature because I don't flag things very often, but I'm never sure how to flag something like a personal attack on a user. Is that "offensive" or "breaks the guidelines" or what? Now I feel as though I can (briefly but) clearly express my reason for flagging.
posted by wintermind at 5:54 AM on May 13, 2016


"Flag with note" sounds good.

I found a funny glitch. Click the flag, select "flag with note". Click the dropdown again and select "pick a reason to flag". It treats it as a genuine flag. It probably shouldn't do that. It could just disappear the note box and let you select again.
posted by sourcejedi at 6:56 AM on May 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


Also if you select a valid flag using the keyboard and then TAB away... aiming for the X to cancel, for example... the flag is submitted. Or if you click anywhere else, or hit ctrl+L, ctrl+tab, alt+tab...

I think traditionally UI people recommend against having dropdowns with instant actions, so there isn't as much of a standard for them. But the above behaviour looks wrong to me.

As you say, some false-flagging doesn't matter. But I don't see why you wouldn't require Enter to submit it (when the arrow keys are used). I.e. it seems safer for accessibility.
posted by sourcejedi at 7:16 AM on May 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


Android using Chrome- I've opened the flagging dialogue but not committed, then when I click a flag on another comment, no drop down appears.
posted by freethefeet at 6:42 AM on May 14, 2016


(Perhaps this is because I hadn't clicked the [X])
posted by freethefeet at 6:45 AM on May 14, 2016


As you say, some false-flagging doesn't matter. But I don't see why you wouldn't require Enter to submit it (when the arrow keys are used). I.e. it seems safer for accessibility.

Interesting, I hear ya there. That said, I think this is consistent with the current flagging process, so this'd be something we'd be revisiting more generally with the mind that for folks used to the way it currently works that'd be a new behavior. We'll chew on it.

Android using Chrome- I've opened the flagging dialogue but not committed, then when I click a flag on another comment, no drop down appears.

Yeah, it sounds from multiple reports on this like it'd be worth us looking at a possible "abort a flag-in-progress" hook there, though I'm not sure what it'd look like.

pb's been sent packing on vacation for a week or so so we're gonna put a hold on any additional work on this in the interim and look at finalizing and rolling something out between when he gets back and when we bid him his for-realsies adieu. Thanks again everybody for help testing and thinking about this.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:37 AM on May 14, 2016 [3 favorites]


Works on iPhone. Prefer dark flag. ::thumbsup;: I don't have to turn around and email mods right away anymore v
posted by tilde at 10:32 PM on May 19, 2016


« Older Privacy policy, revisited   |   "for some people, the trainwrecks are their... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments