UX: Change 'Return to pages and collections' button icon

[Dianne Tennent]

We currently have a back button that allows people to return back to the 'Pages and collections' page. The icon is an arrow pointing to the left to indicate "go back".
This button is displayed when they are viewing a page in edit mode, but not in display mode.

If I have navigated to the second page of a collection, the meaning of this icon changes. It does not take me "back" to the previous screen, but it takes me back to the 'Pages and collections' page.

A solution to this would be to change the icon from a back arrow, to a books icon. The image of books is commonly used to represent a library, or a place where all pages/artefects/things are stored. I think this would more clearly communicate the function of this button, as a quick link back to the place where all of the person's work is stored. (Match between system and real world)

This can be further reinforced by renaming the 'Pages and collections' page to "Portfolio Library" as in this bug report here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/1946291

Furthermore, having this books/return icon available in all modes for collections and portfolios would improve the usability significantly. As the user will spend a lot of time navigating through pages and artefacts to manage their learning, it makes sense to give them the option to 'return home' at any point in their journey (User control and freedom).

(An even better fix could be to include the books icon in the navbar, so that the user has quick, one-click access to their portfolio library from any view in the site.)

Link to fontawesome books icon: https://fontawesome.com/v5.15/icons/books?style=solid (This is under the paid plan, but I'm sure we could find or make something consistent with our design scheme).

[Kristina Hoeppner (kris-hoeppner)]

There are a few different things in here that we can address separately:

1. Change the icon for 'Return to pages and collections' -> Can be discussed.
2. Make the 'Return to pages and collections' button also available in 'Display' mode. -> Can be discussed. It wasn't done so that we don't overload the 'Display' mode. I'd suggest to add it to the options under the 'More options' button.
3. Change 'Pages and collections' -> suggestion on bug #1946291

[Dianne Tennent (dianne-t)]

Point 1 from above has been confirmed today - changing the icon for 'Return to pages and collections' to layer-group: https://fontawesome.com/icons/layer-group?s=solid. Kristina and I also decided to change the icon for the 'Pages and collections / Portfolios' page to this icon, as it more accurately reflects the nature of the content on that page.

Point 2 is a separate issue that has been discussed today and reported separately here: Bug 1982298

[Mahara Bot (dev-mahara)]

Patch for "main" branch: https://reviews.mahara.org/c/mahara/+/13006

[Alexander Del Ponte (delponte)]

Hi everybody,

Some time ago Kristina and me discussed this issue in the context of visiting portfolios from the plans and the submissions list, providing the ability to return to the lists via a return button.

Currently the return URL of the "Return to pages and collections"-Button is restricted to hardcoded destinations.

We introduced with the "Submissions" plugin a tool called "Flashback", which provides the ability to return to a cookie stored definable "root URL".

Currently it is used, when a portfolio is visited via the submissions list to return to this list, when the portfolio is released by using the release form directly below the portfolio page.

We would be very happy if you could take a solution using "Flashback" into consideration! :)

Doing so, a dynamically definable return url could be cached while visiting several pages in the browser (e. g. navigating through the pages of a collection) giving the user the ability to return to the context he initially called the portfolio.

Cheers
Alex