Rethinking highlighting

I noticed today how the mobile app highlighting experience is different from how we are accustomed to thinking of doing it.

With a print book, we would choose a specific highlighter, then highlight a passage.

In the mobile app, we highlight a passage (which uses the most recent highlighter), then change it to the specific highlighter that we wanted to use.

Where the mobile app process becomes more complicated is when you want to apply a second highlight over a portion of the passage you just highlighted. What you're apparently stuck doing is:

highlighting some other passage,
changing the highlighter color,
trashing that unnecessary highlight, then
applying the new color to a portion of the original passage.

What I'd like to suggest is adding a way to select the highlighter (color) before highlighting. I think this would more closely line up with the real world experience (and eliminate some tedium).

Thanks!

If it matters, the "Swipe to Highlight" setting is enabled.

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Comments

Graham Criddle

What I'd like to suggest is adding a way to select the highlighter (color) before highlighting.

This is possible today - even with "Swipe to Highlight" enabled.

Long-press on a word which will cause a popup menu and some selection handles to appear.
Drag the selection handles so the selected area covers the portion you want to highlight
Tap "highlight" in the popup menu
Choose the highlight you want to use

Does this give you what you want?

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979525#Comment_979525

It eliminates having the change the color, Graham. Thanks for pointing that out!

I'd say it's a different technique to learn and remember, in addition to swiping to highlight. I'm not sure that's intuitive or friendly. It would be nice if we could easily apply a second color using the same approach to apply the first color.

It seems that we have to conform to the app's way of doing things, rather than the app behaving more like how we naturally think of highlighting with physical copies of books.

I guess what stirred these thoughts is whether having a physical stylus would eventually make this app's highlighting as natural (and less taxing) as it is with a physical book.

Thanks again for the help, Graham!

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979527#Comment_979527

It seems that we have to conform to the app's way of doing things, rather than the app behaving more like how we naturally think of highlighting with physical copies of books.

Actually... I think what "most" people do is simply grab a highlighter and highlight, which is what the current behavior does when "swipe to highlight" is enabled. Your method would be preferable if someone was ALWAYS changing styles, but the current method is best when someone is using the same style repetitively.

I guess what stirred these thoughts is whether having a physical stylus would eventually make this app's highlighting as natural (and less taxing) as it is with a physical book.

How would a stylus be different than the current behavior? You are just exchanging a piece of plastic for your finger. Am I missing something?

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979529#Comment_979529

Actually... I think what "most" people do is simply grab a highlighter and highlight, which is what the current behavior does when "swipe to highlight" is enabled.

Exactly. The only "swipe to highlight" feature we don't seem to conveniently have is the option to grab a different highlighter before swiping.

Your method would be preferable if someone was ALWAYS changing styles

Definitely not suggesting that my method should replace the existing method.

the current method is best when someone is using the same style repetitively

I'm not often changing colors; I really appreciate the convenience of the current method.

It only becomes inconvenient when I occasionally want to change colors to emphasize a word or phrase in a larger highlighted passage.

Am I missing something?

Probably not!

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979535#Comment_979535

I don't think I am fully understanding you. Sorry! [:s]

Do you want part of the "real estate" taken up by highlighter controls? If that could be toggled on/off, it would certainly make switching more convenient.

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979536#Comment_979536

Do you want part of the "real estate" taken up by highlighter controls? If that could be toggled on/off, it would certainly make switching more convenient.

I'm reading/highlighting in full-screen, with no visible top or bottom bars.

The app's way of changing the color after the fact works for most cases. I use it, myself, and I wouldn't want to change that aspect of the UI. Perhaps if the devs could add some way to also display that selector before marking the text?

Not a UI/UX designer. Have no clue how that should best be implemented.

Donnie Hale

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979525#Comment_979525

This is possible today - even with "Swipe to Highlight" enabled.

Long-press on a word which will cause a popup menu and some selection handles to appear.

Drag the selection handles so the selected area covers the portion you want to highlight

Tap "highlight" in the popup menu

Choose the highlight you want to use

FWIW, this is how I've always highlighted. I know "swipe to highlight" exists, but I wouldn't know how to use it if I wanted to. The most frequent problem with this approach is that the popup that appears from which to select highlight style (and notes document) is never the same size twice and usually is much smaller than it could be and needs to be to see a full list of options.

Donnie

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/979883#Comment_979883

I am with you Donnie, I never use "Swipe to highlight". I do know how to use it but turn it off because I don't find it useful. I rarely repeat the same highlight for more than two or three times as I use a variety of highlights as part of my approach to notetaking so often changing the highlight I use each time.

Never been one to use highlighter pens in real books so I don't have any attachment to how one might use a highlighters in the them and I would not expect the approach to be the same for an electronic device either unless the software I was using interacted with a stylus and I could choose the colour of the stylus before touching the screen. That said it would still not be much use to me as I don't use just colours for highlighting by my own custom highlighters.

Agree with your comments Donnie on the way the popup behaves, that it can be troublesome at times but otherwise happy with highlighting on my mobile app.

This is possible today - even with "Swipe to Highlight" enabled.

Long-press on a word which will cause a popup menu and some selection handles to appear.

Drag the selection handles so the selected area covers the portion you want to highlight

Tap "highlight" in the popup menu

Choose the highlight you want to use

FWIW, this is how I've always highlighted. I know "swipe to highlight" exists, but I wouldn't know how to use it if I wanted to. The most frequent problem with this approach is that the popup that appears from which to select highlight style (and notes document) is never the same size twice and usually is much smaller than it could be and needs to be to see a full list of options.

Donnie