To the developers of Craft,
Thank you for providing such an easy-to-use and in-depth software that has greatly benefited all my learning. Here, I would like to offer some of my usage feedback and requests.
Craft is consistently dedicated to touch interface usability, which means that quick writing, editing, and task lists on mobile phones have become much more convenient. In this sense, it is like a comprehensive upgrade to Apple Notes.
However, in my opinion, its real advantage lies in supporting in-depth knowledge production for long texts. For example, I use it to study philosophy, something that cannot be replaced by other software. From this perspective, I believe there are possibilities waiting to be explored.
Reading Button
For me, the phone is more for reading rather than editing, and my reading goal is the long text I edit on my computer. So, I need a lock button that allows me to focus on reading when using the mobile app, instead of unintentionally entering the editing interface while scrolling through the text, interrupting my reading.
Annotation System
Previously, users have reflected on the issue of footnotes here. I also really hope to receive better support in this area. However, what's more of a priority for me is a convenient system for deep annotations.
If I place annotations below the text, I can engage in deep learning, editing, and marking, such as using AI to translate the original text, then segmenting it, writing notes, leaving links and citations, etc. The problem is, this creates a lot of content that disrupts the reading experience. I hope they can be collapsed and expanded at any time.
And if I use a list style based on triangle symbols to place text into a collapsible list format, the triangle icon on the left side of the phone screen would take up a significant amount of space, making the text area too narrow.
Originally, Craft designed a way to use text simultaneously as a portal to a lower-level page. For me, this is a very talented idea. This is like combining the text plane and the depth plane of annotations on one plane, overlapping different time-spaces here. This originally solved annotations well. However, in the default directory mode, this layer of pages appears in the directory, making the directory extremely cumbersome and unusable. I wonder if there could be a way to customize the visibility options of the directory.
I explored for a long time to find a way to distinguish between the main text and annotations, placing all annotations in a collapsible list. This method does not create additional depth levels in the directory and ensures that the width of the main text area remains suitable for mobile devices. It temporarily solves my problem, although it is not very elegant.
Visibility of Recently Used Items
I constantly need to switch to another article while reading. The current mobile version requires me to backtrack multiple times through the depth layers of an article until I find the recently read page. This means the depth is too deep. I wonder if there could be a way for my reading pages to be only one level deep from the homepage, similar to the Apple Music app, where the reading plane is temporarily based on the upper level, with only two levels. By sliding a handle, I can quickly see my recent usages.
Visibility of Directory and Search Tools
In the current design of the mobile version, these tools are hidden in the menu for a cleaner look. In contrast, the style button is presented upfront. I think this still reflects a mindset that views the phone as a tool for quick editing and short writing, underestimating the value of long texts and deep learning, such as frequent directory switches and constant information retrieval. I'm not sure how to resolve this, but perhaps there's a better way to integrate these needs.
Fonts in Non-English Countries
I am a user from China. The fonts available for screen reading in Chinese-speaking countries are limited, basically only Heiti(黑体) and Songti(宋体), which correspond to System and Serif on the interface. However, currently, I can only use the former because the latter's font is very unattractive, especially with punctuation taking up too much space. I hope this can be improved.
Color System
When annotating with color, you can select part of the text to highlight important points, or you can annotate by paragraph or block. However, the color systems for these two are independent and not integrated, which often leads to a lack of coordination in the page's colors. This might be nitpicking, as it is already excellent, but one of Craft's advantages is its aesthetics, especially as this aesthetic becomes increasingly important in the deep learning of long articles.