Establish better delineation between Node & Wallet #26

1. 
   statusquont commented at 7:13 pm on July 2, 2020: none

   Filing this one as a more formal issue as per a conversation with @achow101 on Twitter. To recap:

   There is strong public advocacy to ‘Run your own node’ for all the obvious reasons. And many say the easiest way to do that today is ‘just download/install core.’ Fair enough. But for a new user, that is not what appears to be taking place when you actually install Core. Instead, the UI you are presented with is a wallet. But even that’s not completely obvious. What you are presented with in the most prominent position is the “Overview” panel.

   Overview of what? Of the Node I believe I just installed? No. It’s actually an Overview of the default wallet that gets created for you.

   It would seem that based on the current UI, there should be something that makes it more obvious that you are looking at a Wallet. As you can see in the Twitter thread, my initial suggestion is to modify the application title bar to something like: “Bitcoin Core - Default Wallet” This at least establishes a more accurate hierarchy with the current Wallet as the parent container, with the child-elements of Overview, Send, Receive, Transactions as actions specific to the current Wallet.

   However that still doesn’t address the fact that the Node I was told to install isn’t anywhere to be seen. In fact, as far as I can tell, you access Node functionality from the Window menu > Console. Which opens up a Node window that has a few Node-related tabs.

   One could certainly push back on all this and make the argument that those loudly pushing the ‘Run your own node’ narrative could be causing the confusion instead of the UI of Core. Or Core could adapt to that predominant narrative and work to design a UI that clearly delineates the Node and Wallet elements. Up for debate! :)

2. 
   Sjors commented at 7:20 pm on July 2, 2020: member

   There’s not much utility in running a node without also using it as wallet, i.e. to verify coins you receive. Hooking up an external wallet is too complicated at the moment for a first experience, though hardware wallets are within reach (see #4).

   Note that when you first install you’re presented with an intro screen that is mostly about the Node side of things. After that you’re looking at a syncing blockchain, until you dismiss the full screen popover.

   Regarding the Overview tab: it could make sense to add a section with basis node stats. Perhaps the sync stuff that’s currently at the footer of the screen, could instead go in that section. That can also make it more clear when the node is fully synced, in case the user is waiting for a transaction to come in. @achow101 proposed not immediately creating a wallet, see https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/15454

3. 
   Saibato commented at 6:44 am on July 3, 2020: contributor

   There is strong public advocacy to ‘Run your own node’ for all the obvious reasons. And many say the easiest way to do that today is ‘just download/install core.’ Fair enough. But for a new user, that is not what appears to be taking place when you actually install Core. Instead, the UIrominent position is the “Overview” panel.

   I guess what might also help a lot, would be if the design of the whole UI would become a from top to bottom style that could easy disp on a mobile, so that we have on desktop and mobile the same style. That would also boost dev to make the UI the pure remote of a full node or wallet.

4. 
   RandyMcMillan commented at 4:20 am on August 28, 2020: contributor

   I believe we should reconsider how “empty space” in the UI can be reallocated to more useful displays of information…

   For example the Network tab can be reworked to display more information “at a glance”.

   If done well the Information tab and the Network tab can be consolidated into one useful “at a glance” display.

   This is a quick cut and paste but I think it conveys the idea…

   

   This approach of “at a glance” can be reworked so that the main window can be resized and a “block height” window overlays the window so that the user can see the block height…

   This approach would actually obfuscate the balance of the wallet that is loaded…and may be a useful way to create a log back in prompt…which adds a little more security from people walking away from their computers without logging out…

   This will also give the user a “widget” type experience similar to having a desktop clock widget..

   

5. hebasto added the label Brainstorming on Mar 5, 2021
6. hebasto added the label Design on Mar 5, 2021
7. MarcoFalke referenced this in commit c857148636 on May 15, 2021
8. fanquake referenced this in commit 7b45d171f5 on May 2, 2023
9. fanquake referenced this in commit 8d5b93cf54 on Jun 21, 2023

Contributors
statusquont Sjors Saibato RandyMcMillan

Labels
Brainstorming Design