Nick Felker, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼Nov 6, 2022

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.

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, 🗽🇺🇦🇹🇼
@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.
Nov 6, 2022 at 4:13amWeb
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.