My concern about media page

[onnesoom]

First of all, a great praise to the dev for making such a great app. This is one of the best app executions I have seen so far, and it has great potential to grow. I have been daily driving Tachiyomi and Aniyomi for the past 3 years, and I seriously think AniVu has the potential to surpass them and become my daily driver. However, I think the media library part of the app is going in the wrong direction, so I'm here to give my suggestions about it in early development before it goes horribly wrong.

So what is actually wrong

I installed the latest beta AniVu 1.1-beta53 and noticed the app media library has changed. In previous versions, it only displayed videos without any kind of categorization, but when I installed this version, it had a default "group" which I didn't have. With every brain cell in my head, it clicked right there that the media library is now going to look like the Feed page (I'm a big fan of the Feed page; whoever suggested that is a genius), but that is not ideal for a media page. The media page should never have that layout; that layout will only work on the Feed page. If you take a look at media library layout inspiration from the biggest rivals out there like Aniyomi, Tachiyomi, Jellyfin, Plex, and even official libraries like Netflix and Crunchyroll, you will understand why this is wrong.

You are probably thinking, after all that work you have done, am I telling you to just ignore all your hard work?
-> Heck no. It's just the group part that is wrong; everything except it is good, and I love and think it is suitable for a media library page.

What can be done

I will be honest - just remove groups for the media library as expandable cards. Cards are not an ideal form of separation in a media page. The media page should be more distinct and straightforward in what it contains. But I'm not telling you to completely remove the groups; you can keep them but in a better way. Use navigation groups as navigation tabs. MATERIAL.IO describes it well: Tabs organize groups of related content that are at the same level of hierarchy.

Some popular examples of media library using tabs:

Aniyomi

Crunchyroll

Improvements over the current approach

• Better Organization: Using navigation tabs will make the media library more organized and easier to navigate.
• Clear Hierarchy: Tabs clearly separate different categories, making it easier for users to find what they are looking for.
• Enhanced User Experience: A more straightforward and distinct layout improves the overall user experience.
• Consistency: Aligning with industry standards used by popular apps like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Aniyomi ensures a familiar and intuitive interface for users.

Everything else is correct

I respect and like the choices made by the dev and all other contributors. Their work is commendable, and the app is shaping up to be a fantastic tool.

[onnesoom]

Additional improvement

• Future proofing : If media library supports layout customisation like tachiyomi (list layout,comfortable grid layout , compact grid layout , cover only layout) it will be future proof for that and ready to implement.

[P0bo]

I was the one who recommended that grouping layout , u are right I was only thinking about making it consistent with feed page i didnt think about that it needs to be different . I strongly support ur idea , I wish it came to my mind earlier , I made the dev to work he should not have done, sorry
@SkyD666 for making you do so .

[onnesoom]

I wanted to add this about the download section in a different issue, but since you changed the download section's position in the latest beta, I want to mention it now.

• There are times when I add a download from the feed page and want to go directly to the download section, but I need to go to the media page first, which is inconvenient.
• In the latest beta, the position for accessing the download section changed from a FAB (Floating Action Button) in the media page, but the issue remains. I still need to go to the media page first.
• The media page should be focused solely on media content without any distractions.

Use Download Page as a Bottom Navigation Bar Destination

• The download page satisfies the material.io guideline: Navigation bars should be used for: Top-level destinations that need to be accessible from anywhere in the app.
• Additionally, it would be a more user-friendly position since the app is focused on downloading media. The optimal layout would include a feed section (already available), a media section (already available), a download section (moved from the media page to the navigation bar), and a more options/settings section (already available).

Example: Cloudstream (One of the biggest apps to download and stream media)

Example: Ketsu (iOS)

Many more apps utilize quick access to the download page, saving users time and clicks.

Feedback on the New FAB Button in the Media Page

The media page now has a new FAB (edit button), which I don't think is a good choice for a FAB. The action can be easily triggered by long-pressing any entry, and the edit button is not something users will frequently use. I suggest using a resume/play button instead of the edit button as the FAB. This will help users continue from the last played media and will be used more frequently.

Top Bar Buttons

Currently, the media page top bar has a refresh button and a download page button (which should be moved to the navigation bar). The refresh button is fine, but the download button should be replaced with a files button, allowing users to navigate to media files outside of the Anivu folder. Additionally, a search button to search for global media (both in the Anivu folder and on the device) should be added.

[P0bo]

I agree with you , I have felt the need always , i had plan to make an issue about download button in bottom bar later .

[Buxuna]

I wanted to add this about the download section in a different issue, but since you changed the download section's position in the latest beta, I want to mention it now.

• There are times when I add a download from the feed page and want to go directly to the download section, but I need to go to the media page first, which is inconvenient.
• In the latest beta, the position for accessing the download section changed from a FAB (Floating Action Button) in the media page, but the issue remains. I still need to go to the media page first.
• The media page should be focused solely on media content without any distractions.

Use Download Page as a Bottom Navigation Bar Destination

• The download page satisfies the material.io guideline: Navigation bars should be used for: Top-level destinations that need to be accessible from anywhere in the app.
• Additionally, it would be a more user-friendly position since the app is focused on downloading media. The optimal layout would include a feed section (already available), a media section (already available), a download section (moved from the media page to the navigation bar), and a more options/settings section (already available).

Example: Cloudstream (One of the biggest apps to download and stream media)

Example: Ketsu (iOS)

Many more apps utilize quick access to the download page, saving users time and clicks.

Feedback on the New FAB Button in the Media Page

The media page now has a new FAB (edit button), which I don't think is a good choice for a FAB. The action can be easily triggered by long-pressing any entry, and the edit button is not something users will frequently use. I suggest using a resume/play button instead of the edit button as the FAB. This will help users continue from the last played media and will be used more frequently.

Top Bar Buttons

Currently, the media page top bar has a refresh button and a download page button (which should be moved to the navigation bar). The refresh button is fine, but the download button should be replaced with a files button, allowing users to navigate to media files outside of the Anivu folder. Additionally, a search button to search for global media (both in the Anivu folder and on the device) should be added.

This is something that should be urgently done , I have always wanted it. And Google also recommended using 3-5 navigation buttons so it will also not violate this .

[SkyD666]

"Use Download Page as a Bottom Navigation Bar Destination" is difficult to realize. This is because it is important to consider that opening an external magnet link should automatically jump to the appropriate tab, but the navigation component currently provided by Google may cause the home screen to be instantiated more than once, and this problem cannot be solved at the moment.

[P0bo]

"This is because it is important to consider that opening an external magnet link should automatically jump to the appropriate tab"

• so i was just reading this , coz i also want to acces the downloads screen from navigation bar since it will be a really great update for navigation to me since i want to acces the downloads page from anywhere in the app , instead of going to media tab everytime (really hassle) and i download so many content so that wastes too much of my time tbh .

Can we have sheet type external download handler , it will help us add downloads withought quitting our current activity or going inside the app saving time and not interpreting the current app thats running . and it should also handle "home screen to be instantiated more than once" better
example-seal,ytdlnis (both are popular download utilities )