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UI Design Feedback

name: "Feature Request Template"
about: "For feature requests. Please search for existing issues first. Also see CONTRIBUTING."

edit: 5/16/2025 FLE applied Feature Request Template.

Feature Request

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. A clear and concise description of what the problem is. Ex. I have an issue when [...]

Describe the solution you'd like A clear and concise description of what you want to happen. Add any considered drawbacks.

I am summarizing various comments from @jegglest here about UI design in the software. These are not required changes but can be discussed.

Orthorectification Tab

  • Users should get more feedback from extensive export processes. An estimate of time in the status bar could be helpful.
  • Be transparent about how the export process works in the documentation. Users may get confused and end up stuck.
  • Carefully revisit the tooltips for this tab, as this could be a place to improve user workflow/understanding.

Cross-Section Geometry Tab

Message in upper right portion of window says, “Load an Area Comp cross-section geometry file to continue”. But Import Menu reads “Import Bathymetry”. Recommendation: These two messages should use similar wording. Maybe could use “Load a Bathymetry file (.mat) to Continue ” and “Import Bathymetry File”. Or “Load a Cross-Section Bathymetry file (.mat) to Continue ” and “Import Cross-Section Bathymetry File”

Grid Preparation Tab

  • Recommend adding a statement at the top saying the purpose or function of this tab. For example “Use this tab to prepare a grid of points where velocities will be calculated.”
  • Masking menu in lower left. Text is long and prosy. Recommend reformatting this text as a series of steps (bulleted or numbered) to follow. Last sentence needs grammatical fix “The Clear Masks button will delete the any masks from the image”
  • Recommend adding instructions of what to do when done making the mask. For example “When mask is complete, go to Point section below.”

Image Velocimetry Tab

  • Parameters Box – first line “Seach Line distance (ft)” needs a spelling fix
  • Recommend adding error check –- maybe if the ‘Process Velocities’ is clicked when no points have been specified, show a message such as “Before processing velocities, use the Grid Preparation tab to specify points where to calculate velocity.”
  • I would like to export the image with velocity vectors as a PDF, jpg, or PNG file. Is that possible?
  • What do the red arrows indicate? I can’t find any help or tip balloons for that question?

Discharge Tab

  • Recommendation: Add a user tip or explanation, such as a heading “Use this tab to calculate discharge based on results from the Grid Preparation and Image Velocimetry tabs”.
  • Add user tip(s) such as a hover-over message telling user how to assign discharge stations in the table, maybe something like “Set Discharge Stations in the XXX tab”

Space-Time Image Results Subtab

  • It is very difficult to know how to edit this table. Deep in the documentation I found direction to double click a ‘Manual Velocity Magnitude (ft/s)’ value to open the editing. This should be much more visually evident when the table comes up.
  • Recommendation: Substitute ‘nan’ if the user deletes the manual velocity value. Or else do it automatically when the changes are applied.

All Tabs

  • Using the scroll button on my mouse to zoom in/out works well on all images on all tabs. But some people do not have scroll buttons. I discovered that click-hold-drag with the left mouse button allows zoom in, and right button clicking zooms out. Recommend: add a help tip at top or bottom of images, for example “Use mouse scroll button or clicks and drags to Zoom In-Out.”
  • Example Data sets need to be added to the software package on online. Additional help tools, such as visual walk throughs, would be useful, but can be added later. Recommend adding example files for at least one site (video, image stacks, GCP, .mat, .IVY)
  • If I close the program by clicking the upper RH ‘X’, I get the error message pasted below. This error shows even immediately after I have saved the .IVY file. Recommendation: Check that there are unsaved changes before showing the error.
  • There should be an option to export the view on the Image Velocimetry tab
  • Recommendation: The error messages should tell the user how to fix the errors. Right now they tell the coder (you) what line of code is the problem. That kind of error should go into a log file, not be shown to the user.

Describe alternatives you've considered A clear and concise description of any alternative solutions or features you've considered.

Teachability, Documentation, Adoption, Migration Strategy If you can, explain how users will be able to use this and possibly write out a version in the docs or SOPs. Maybe a screenshot or design?

Edited by Engel, Frank