Improvements to the New Score Wizard
OS: Windows 10 (10.0), Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.4.2.9788, revision: 148e43f
IMV, the current layout of the New Score Wizard is unintuitive and confusing: specifically pages 2, "Chose Template File", and 3 "Create New Score".
If you go to page 2, "Chose Template File", and enter the name of a common instrument in the search bar, you often get a nul result: e.g. Ukelele, Banjo, Lute, Drum kit etc. etc. In other words, the search only looks at the (limited) range of templates. If the instrument is not in a template you get a nul result. And there is no clear indication to the user that if s/he can't find what s/he is looking for on the template page, s/he should procede to page 3, "Create New Score".
A few tentative suggestions:
- Both templates and instruments should be located on the same page.
- The search function should search both templates and individual instrument names.
- "Choose Instruments" does not belong in the templates list because its function is different, more comprehensive. It should be a separate button, perhaps underneath the templates pane.
- Since page 3, "Chose instruments", is accessed from the "Choose instruments" button, the "Next" button can skip page 3 altogether and go straight on to page 4, "Choose Time Signature."
Comments
No wonder, Ukelele really is Ukulele
Also there's no such template at all. If you want to create a score with certain instruments, use that and not a template
Indeed, instruments aren't templates, and combining them onto one page would to me make things more overwhelming. So typing an instrument name into the template selector shouldn't confuse the user by pretending otherwise. Maybe at best, an empty search could always leave "Choose instruments" available. Or as mentioned, moving Choose Instruments into a separate area of the dialog.
To illustrate, here's a mockup of an alternative page 2:
In reply to "Indeed, instruments aren't… by geetar
Yes, I could see something like that working, although if someone searches for "flute", should it turn up templates that include flute? In any case, the designs being proposed for instrument selection in MuseScore 4 are completely different, so probably it would be a different dialog anyhow.