Nick Felker, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼

When interacting across servers on Mastodon (on another server), you'll run into this dialog which is not intuitive or seamless.

The call to action is obscure and requires multiple non-intuitive steps. Cleaning this up would definitely make the experience feel more cohesive.

Nov 6, 2022 at 3:51amWeb
Show threadGranite T. RockNov 6, 2022
@fleker Half the time I get that window. The other half of the time I get an enter your username and instance and then it lets me follow through. I'm not sure if it's a bug or what.
Show threadNick Felker, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼Nov 6, 2022
@granite I'd much rather have the system figure out how to properly link me straight to the appropriate window. And maybe that's not entirely feasible based on the system design. But for simple operations I don't want to jump through hoops.
Show threadGranite T. RockNov 6, 2022
@fleker I don't like it either. Especially since the instructions don't work. The other window I get is better as at least when you type in your username it takes you to your server where you can then interact the way you want to. These are definitely the types of things that will slow Mastodon adoption long term. #twittermigration
Show threadcyberlucidaNov 6, 2022
@fleker yeah i’ve been running into the same thing and thinking along the same lines as you. makes it harder to interact across servers, which would make the experience of the whole site a lot better imo
Show threadScott WilsonNov 6, 2022
@fleker It's a tough problem. You're on some random server that doesn't have a way to know what server you are from... Best way to follow I've found is to switch tabs back to your main server and add them by @ name or url. I agree I wish there was a better way though
Show threadNick Felker, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼Nov 6, 2022

@scottwi I'm not sure how to design a better flow. I think you could. But juggling tabs especially on mobile is not a pleasant experience, especially for something that is a core part of the user journey.

A browser extension can help on the desktop, but I would prefer to be able to browse effectively on my phone too.

Show threadScott WilsonNov 6, 2022
@fleker I think a mobile app could get this flow right using API access. On web, CORS really puts a stop to it. Although, it might be possible with a SPA app like React or Angular, so you never really leave your home site.
Show threadNick Felker, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼Nov 6, 2022
@scottwi can there be some lightweight auth on other servers where I enter my full name and it gets saved as local storage? It'd have to be done once per-server but then common ones can just open a new tab right to the correct page.
Show threadScott WilsonNov 6, 2022
@fleker I think if they saved your server name in a local cookie, they could redirect you to your own server's search page, pre-populated with the user you're looking at easy enough. So essentially, yeah. After the redirect you'd presumably be logged in already.