🎨 Improve design and process of adding clients using qr code
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Description
A recent improvement to app token management in https://github.com/nextcloud/server/pull/42334 triggered me to create an issue.
We should make the QR code that can be used to log in with an app more visible. The mobile apps show a nice scan-qr logo on their login page, and all the user has to do is...
- Open a Nextcloud mobile app and notice the QR code icon. Clicking it just gives you the camera, so now you have to...
- go to Nextcloud, go to
settings/user/security(note: this is NOT explained on your phone - it should be) - scroll all the way down
- enter a name like 'my phone'
- choose "show QR code for mobile apps"
- scan the QR code
Users who go to, for example, /settings/user/sync-clients will have to search a little longer, as they won't find anything.
Now I propose two solutions.
- We simplify the process and
- We explain the process.
Simplification
The first, simplification, is for the server. We can do a few things:
- Put the QR code on top of the security page with a name that suggests to the user that there they can scan a QR code. I propose to just show the QR code on top, but if that is technically or security-wise difficult, show a blurred QR code that 'reveals itself when clicked' AKA, gets generated on click.
- Put the QR code on the sync clients user settings in Nextcloud
- Put the QR code in the first setup page/welcome wizard/about thingy (not sure what the name is...)
Explanation
Second, the explanation. I suggest that the mobile client don't immediately open the camera when the QR code is clicked, but either show the camera feed in the bottom-half of the screen and a description of how to get the QR code to show in the top half, or first show how to get the QR code full-screen and then, after the user clicks OK, show the camera.
REF https://github.com/nextcloud/server/pull/42334 and the comments there.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Review the existing QR-code flow referenced by PR 42334, including the settings/user/security and settings/user/sync-clients entry points and the mobile app login flow. First establish which server and mobile changes are in scope; done means the agreed QR-code location and user instructions are implemented and the complete login process is understandable.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- php
- Domain
- authentication, design, mobile-dev
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 25/100