nextcloud / nextcloud/server

[Overview] Reduce friction upon file creation

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#56,021 6 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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0. Needs triage enhancement
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

Problem

When a user creates a new file, we always ask them to think of a file title in advance. In some cases on top of that we ask them to pick a template. This "cuts the flow" and adds friction to the interaction.

Thinking of a title in advance may require users to "zoom out" and engage in the difficult task of trying to name something that does not exist yet. We've all been there.. Moreover, depending on the document's final form, it might need to be renamed anyway.
It's also not a common UX pattern anymore and other similar products in the industry do not require users to name their files in advance.

Proposed solution

  • Don't ask for a name in advance and assign a placeholder name automatically instead
  • Don't show templates in advance, always open a blank
  • Make it very easy to rename a any file once a document is open
  • Make it very easy to access and apply templates from the blank page view of the opened app

cc @nextcloud/designers

To do

* @nextcloud/viewer
  • nextcloud/viewer#3002
* Text
  • Do not ask for title upon creation
  • Provide template selection on the blank document
* Whiteboard
  • Do not ask for title upon creation
  • Provide template selection on the blank document
* Collabora
  • Do not ask for title upon creation
  • Provide template selection on the blank document
* Onlyoffice
  • Do not ask for title upon creation
  • Provide template selection on the blank document

References

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/13eb74c5-6d01-4993-918a-f3dde21c5418

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c7c4b7dd-d51f-4aed-a25c-0ad5056a84c4

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing the checklist for nextcloud/viewer#3002 and the Text, Whiteboard, Collabora, and Onlyoffice workstreams. Confirm which product owns file creation and blank-document behavior before choosing an entry point. Done means creation no longer asks for a title or template, while blank documents provide template access and easy renaming.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
design, frontend
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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