A UX issue when drawing a line

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1

Hello,
I have a suggestion for the UX in Penpot.

Senario :
The user want to draw a line(not a closed shape) by using the Path(P) tool.

User workflow :

  1. Click the path(p) icon
  2. Draw the start point and the end point
  3. Press Enter or ESC to display the vector toolbar (see image below )
  4. Click the first icon of the vector toolbar (Draw nodes(P)) to finsh the drawing

Problem with the workflow :
If the user doesn’t click the correct icon(Draw nodes (P)), the line he just drew is erased. Because the Draw nodes (P) icon does not appear automatically after clicking the Path(P) icon, there is a high chance the user will make the wrong move.

Desired behavior :
The vector tool bar should appear immediately and automatically after the user clicks path(p) tool.

Actual behavior :
The vector toolbar appears only after the user closes a shape.

Version of Penpot : 2.11.0, self-hosted

What do you think ?

This is what I call a Vector Toolbar :

toolbar
toolbar1000×114 5.81 KB

1 Like
2

The way I draw a line, is by double-clicking on the end point, and then escape.

But I just realized (thanks to your post), that I can just do:
* Start and end point
* Escape twice

I wouldn’t mind a single escape (or return) (or double-click) to be enough to confirm the line. Although that’s not exactly what you are proposing.

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3

Hey, thanks for the double‑clicking trick, it’s a very handy shortcut ! Indeed, double‑clicking Esc feels more natural and intuitive than double‑clicking the end point and then pressing Esc, and it’s far more natural than the workflow I described in this post.

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