Hi FOSSASIA team! 👋
After contributing a few PRs recently, I spent some time exploring the PSLab app from a first-time user’s perspective to better understand the overall experience. The ecosystem is really impressive, but I noticed a few friction points—especially around UX, onboarding, and error handling for more complex instruments.
Before drafting a more detailed proposal (potentially for GSoC), I wanted to check whether these observations align with the current direction of the project and get your feedback.
🛑 Observations
1. Silent Failures & Limited UI Feedback
In some cases, the app does not provide feedback when an action fails.
Example:
- Open the Gas Sensor.
- Keep the hardware disconnected.
- Try interacting with the interface.
Current behavior:
•No visible feedback is shown to the user.
•Additionally, some interactive elements lack clear tap states (e.g., ripple effects or visual response), which can make the UI feel unresponsive.
2. Limited Onboarding for Complex Instruments
While tools like Oscilloscope and Multimeter are well-supported with documentation, more advanced instruments such as:
•Logic Analyzer,
•Gas Sensor,
do not currently have step-by-step guides that help users move from hardware setup to actual usage.
- Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners
Some instrument dashboards can be difficult to interpret for first-time users (e.g., early undergraduate students or those without prior hardware experience), which may limit accessibility.
💡 Potential Directions (Open to Feedback)
Improved Error Handling & Feedback
•Introduce Toasts/Snackbars for disconnected devices or failed actions.
•Add visual tap states to interactive UI elements.
Guided Onboarding
•Add beginner-friendly, step-by-step experiment guides in the incomplete documention of these instruments.
•Possibly integrate them in-app or via Markdown-based documentation.
•Enhanced UI Feedback & Responsiveness.
Improve visual feedback for user interactions (e.g., button states, loading indicators)
Add subtle animations (e.g., transitions, active states, or even a more dynamic splash/logo experience).
Ensure the interface clearly reflects system state (connected, disconnected, processing, etc.).
🟨Feedback Request
I’d really appreciate your guidance on:
Whether these areas align with current priorities.
Hi FOSSASIA team! 👋
After contributing a few PRs recently, I spent some time exploring the PSLab app from a first-time user’s perspective to better understand the overall experience. The ecosystem is really impressive, but I noticed a few friction points—especially around UX, onboarding, and error handling for more complex instruments.
Before drafting a more detailed proposal (potentially for GSoC), I wanted to check whether these observations align with the current direction of the project and get your feedback.
🛑 Observations
1. Silent Failures & Limited UI Feedback
In some cases, the app does not provide feedback when an action fails.
Example:
Current behavior:
•No visible feedback is shown to the user.
•Additionally, some interactive elements lack clear tap states (e.g., ripple effects or visual response), which can make the UI feel unresponsive.
2. Limited Onboarding for Complex Instruments
While tools like Oscilloscope and Multimeter are well-supported with documentation, more advanced instruments such as:
•Logic Analyzer,
•Gas Sensor,
do not currently have step-by-step guides that help users move from hardware setup to actual usage.
Some instrument dashboards can be difficult to interpret for first-time users (e.g., early undergraduate students or those without prior hardware experience), which may limit accessibility.
💡 Potential Directions (Open to Feedback)
Improved Error Handling & Feedback
•Introduce Toasts/Snackbars for disconnected devices or failed actions.
•Add visual tap states to interactive UI elements.
Guided Onboarding
•Add beginner-friendly, step-by-step experiment guides in the incomplete documention of these instruments.
•Possibly integrate them in-app or via Markdown-based documentation.
•Enhanced UI Feedback & Responsiveness.
Improve visual feedback for user interactions (e.g., button states, loading indicators)
Add subtle animations (e.g., transitions, active states, or even a more dynamic splash/logo experience).
Ensure the interface clearly reflects system state (connected, disconnected, processing, etc.).
🟨Feedback Request
I’d really appreciate your guidance on:
Whether these areas align with current priorities.