Topic on Talk:Talk pages project/Replying/Flow

T301750: Reassure people comment drafts will be saved

T300215: Improve experience for locating changes to a discussion

T300502: Be able to refresh content on a talk page without reloading the page or losing your reply

• What did you find unexpected about the prototype?

The reload of the page was a bit more substantial than I expected. I would've thought the new comment would just appear.

• What do you appreciate about the prototype?

I liked that it overall worked effectively to let me know about the new comment.

• What do you wish was different about the prototype?

It was hard to tell what the new comment was; it would've been nice if it'd flashed in orange the same way new comments do in discussions I've subscribed to.

• What concerns you about the prototype?

From the fact it felt like the whole page reloaded and the "changes recovered" notice popped up, it seemed like there was some risk that it might have lost my comment during the reload. This would make me feel a little uneasy using the feature, especially if I was writing a long comment, since I'd worry that if the servers crashed at that moment or something it might lose my draft.

Thank you for reviewing the prototype, @Sdkb. A couple of comments/questions in response below...

The reload of the page was a bit more substantial than I expected. I would've thought the new comment would just appear.

We agree with you in thinking the full page reload feels "substantial." In fact, we're working on a patch right now that will enable us to display to content on a talk page without reloading the page. More in T300502.

I liked that it overall worked effectively to let me know about the new comment.

Okay, good!

It was hard to tell what the new comment was; it would've been nice if it'd flashed in orange the same way new comments do in discussions I've subscribed to.

+1. The work you are describing above to make it easier for people to locate the new comments the alert is making them aware of will happen in T300215.

From the fact it felt like the whole page reloaded and the "changes recovered" notice popped up, it seemed like there was some risk that it might have lost my comment during the reload. This would make me feel a little uneasy using the feature, especially if I was writing a long comment, since I'd worry that if the servers crashed at that moment or something it might lose my draft.

Mmm, yes. If you can you think of a comparable experience on-wiki or off- where you are NOT worried that the changes you've made will be lost if/when you leave/reload the page, we'd be keen to know.

Reason being: I wonder whether there are design patterns we could borrow to improve the current implementation to provide the assurance you, and others, are seeking.

In the meantime, here is a new ticket for the issue you described above: T301750.

Thanks for the reply! I think resolving T300502 will take care of the recovery concern. If it's necessary to stick with the current implementation, I'm not sure much could help, as the reload of the page itself is what causes the unease.

...the reload of the page itself is what causes the unease.

Understood.