Speaker Labels shouldn't clutter transcript
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Donald Elbert
I agree - I was dismayed to see the new format because it is much harder to scan through. I really liked the speaker labels in the left margin and the bolder, more saturated colors and text of the speaker labels themselves. The format of the text and labels in the previous version was perfect for me. You had it nailed. This one is much more of a visual/cognitive workload to dig through.
Perhaps giving users more control of the formatting would ultimately make everyone happy.
Sonja Swanson
This 100% — I was just switched over to the new version of Descript, which I use on an almost-daily basis. I have to scan large volumes of text very quickly, and sometimes need to highlight and move large sections. We lost important white space between speakers/paragraphs, and the speaker labels make it much more difficult to skim. Really disappointed in this change.
C
Chris Conner
Speaker names in a column to the left was definitely better as were the color choices with higher contrast.
Pranav Vishnu
Does this feel any better with the latest changes to the fonts and design?
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Sally Le Page
Pranav Vishnu: It's definitely bettER, but it's still not as easy to scan as having the speaker labels in the margin separate from the text
Sonja Swanson
Pranav Vishnu: I don't mind the new fonts, but I need the speaker names offset to the side. And definitely need more white space between speakers.
Charlie Harding
Pranav Vishnu: the low contrast colors are still very difficult to scan. There still isn’t a large enough paragraph break between speakers to easily scan either.
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Sally Le Page
100% this!
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Timothy Elliott
Yes! I came here specifically to make this point. The speaker labels used to be in the left margin and easily scannable. Now they disappear in to the transcript itself. It's a surprising step backward for the UI.
Charlie Harding
The new speaker colors have such a low contrast color palette that it is still very difficult to visually identify changes in who is speaking.
While it gives the app a more "pro" feel, it comes at the trade off of visual clarity and general legibility.
Here is an example of the same script in the new and old Descript.
Andrew Campbell
Really relate to these points.
The contrast between the different speaker labels is definitely lower compared to the old colours. Perhaps this change was to improve the contrast of text against the background and improve accessibility? If so I’d argue it has had side-effects in the editing experience, particularly when working on multi-tracks with 4 or more speakers. Providing brighter options in the palette of available colours could allow users to opt in?
I’m sure I’ll get used to seeing speaker labels above the text, but right now it feels like it interrupts the flow of text.
(Edited)