Loomio

Feature request: make context panel edits more prominent

Matthew Bartlett PublicSeen by 65

In my Loomio groups, I often have an 'agenda' thread, with a context panel where people add topics for the next face-to-face meeting. I really want to be able to see when people have made edits to the context panel, even if they haven't elected to share the edits with the dialog box that shows up after you do an edit (which feels pretty heavy/noisy). I'd love it if editing the context panel made the thread become unread for the rest of its members, and if there was a dated activity item showing that an edit had been made.

To my way of thinking context panels are some of the most significant pieces of content in Loomio groups. I've been thinking this for ages, but it was prompted for me a fresh today because this evening I'm hosting a meeting, and I only discovered some of the agenda items by happening to look at the context panel again just now.

Robert Guthrie

Hi @matthewbartlett! I've been working on a Timeline feature for Loomio. It's in an early stage but the following concepts come together in it:

  • Polls/Proposals are moved to the main column (so stuff isnt repeated on the same page)
  • The right bar is now used for "Timeline" and "Process" cards
  • Context becomes just another thread item. Rather than editing old context, you just add a new context. These context items, along with proposals can be seen on the timeline card. Maybe there is a pin button on each thread item, and you can choose what items are pinned to the timeline so they are easy to find. (Group list pinning is moving to the group page)
  • The timeline acts as a navigation tool for the main column.
  • There is a process card, which is where you'll find an outline of what process is being followed in this thread.. ie: Generative Decision Making, or Board meeting prep. We'll provide cards for common decision making workflows, and you can edit your own cards as your group develops it's own process together. These will be an enhanced markdown format. The facilitator can use the links in the process doc to generate proposals etc from templates, and select what stage of the process is currently being observed.

Thoughts, clarifying questions?

Matthew Bartlett

@robertguthrie Very interesting & quite exciting!

Thoughts:

  • Love the idea of moving more into the main column
  • Love the context as just another thread item idea. It's always felt a little awkward jumping back and forth between a wiki-like thing and a stream
  • Unsure about timeline as separate column & navigation tool — I guess that's kinda the Discourse model. Do you have a sense of where the timeline card lives on mobile?
  • Process card sounds like a way of giving people a better sense of what state a conversation is in, what's required of them right now.
  • "Enhanced markdown" makes me feel a bit afraid

Robert Guthrie

timeline on mobile will be a dropdown menu from the lintel.

Enhanced markdown might be not enhanced markdown to begin with. Maybe make a select menu from the headings so facilitators can identify the stage of the process easily.