[US-2] As a user, I want the suite chrome to hide when I enter a document's "deep focus" mode, so I can concentrate on content, with one action to return.

angie commented

2026-08-21 16:05:24 +02:00

Owner

Citing @Jeremiah: Leaning into browser-like modes where people organize tabs and separate windows to define their working contexts.
This pattern only works in Outline and Google Docs with document tabs. It breaks down if the context being presented is more like a Google Drive. On the last meeting it was emphasis that a curated list on the left is different from a user's particular session of open docs.

Citing @Jeremiah: Leaning into browser-like modes where people organize tabs and separate windows to define their working contexts. This pattern only works in Outline and Google Docs with document tabs. It breaks down if the context being presented is more like a Google Drive. On the last meeting it was emphasis that a curated list on the left is different from a user's particular session of open docs.

angie changed title from ~~[US-2] Deep focus mechanics~~ to [US-2] As a user, I want the suite chrome to hide when I enter a document's "deep focus" mode, so I can concentrate on content, with one action to return.

2026-08-21 18:07:51 +02:00

niko commented

2026-08-22 19:49:44 +02:00

Owner

The idea here is to propose a left side bar that would contain the whole hierarchy of files of the user (all the stores, all their docs). It would allow the user to switch between documents without having to first go back to the drive, select a file there, and then enter the deep focus mode of that new doc.
We had long discussions about that, maybe due to some initial confusion. The feature is not to be confused with the "active tabs of opened documents", see US-6 #5 about that.
The feature discribed here is similar to what Outline proposes.
It would be only accessible in document oriented apps (docs, calc, slides when we have it) as it is clear that seeing the whole drive on the left side is useless in any other singleton app (contact manager, calendar, inbox, etc...)

In order to accomodate 2 different UX (deep focus, and easy navigation between files), the left side drive panel would be collapsable, and a setting would allow the user to select which apps are entering in deep focus immediately (left panel collapsed) which ones are not.
on mobile, the deep focus mode would not have a collapsed side bar, because hovering does not exist on mobile) but an action button could bring the popup of the drive, on top of the document.

It seems like after the 2 discussion on this topic, we arrived to a common understanding that the featre could beimplemented, allowing different UX/habits to coexist.

The idea here is to propose a left side bar that would contain the whole hierarchy of files of the user (all the stores, all their docs). It would allow the user to switch between documents without having to first go back to the drive, select a file there, and then enter the deep focus mode of that new doc. We had long discussions about that, maybe due to some initial confusion. The feature is not to be confused with the "active tabs of opened documents", see US-6 #5 about that. The feature discribed here is similar to what Outline proposes. It would be only accessible in document oriented apps (docs, calc, slides when we have it) as it is clear that seeing the whole drive on the left side is useless in any other singleton app (contact manager, calendar, inbox, etc...) In order to accomodate 2 different UX (deep focus, and easy navigation between files), the left side drive panel would be collapsable, and a setting would allow the user to select which apps are entering in deep focus immediately (left panel collapsed) which ones are not. on mobile, the deep focus mode would not have a collapsed side bar, because hovering does not exist on mobile) but an action button could bring the popup of the drive, on top of the document. It seems like after the 2 discussion on this topic, we arrived to a common understanding that the featre could beimplemented, allowing different UX/habits to coexist.

yousef commented

2026-08-25 09:49:31 +02:00

Owner

I'm also a fan of an Outline / Notion style sidebar for navigating documents. At the moment I'm confident we can cater to both Drive / Notion style interfaces for this.

One important thing to figure out design-wise for this is what to show when you click a "folder" on the left, because in Notion / Outline / Slite a folder is also a page. This pattern doesn't cater well to a Drive style interface. Two suggestions:

A folder is not a page (no content), but we show sub-pages / folders when selected
A folder is also a page. In Drive, this is shown as an "Index" file inside a folder (akin to index.html)

I'm also a fan of an Outline / Notion style sidebar for navigating documents. At the moment I'm confident we can cater to both Drive / Notion style interfaces for this. One important thing to figure out design-wise for this is what to show when you click a "folder" on the left, because in Notion / Outline / Slite a folder is also a page. This pattern doesn't cater well to a Drive style interface. Two suggestions: - A folder is not a page (no content), but we show sub-pages / folders when selected - A folder is also a page. In Drive, this is shown as an "Index" file inside a folder (akin to `index.html`)

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niko commented

2026-08-25 10:26:38 +02:00

Owner

Nextgraph can accomodate both cases, and I had a discussion with Angie about it very recently. We can expend today during the call.
It is a topic indeed on what to do in either cases.

Nextgraph can accomodate both cases, and I had a discussion with Angie about it very recently. We can expend today during the call. It is a topic indeed on what to do in either cases.

niko added this to the Product Design PDR project

2026-10-13 13:44:54 +02:00

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[US-2] As a user, I want the suite chrome to hide when I enter a document's "deep focus" mode, so I can concentrate on content, with one action to return. #2