Console - Please can we have some Quality of Life changes in the Guild Store

Enigmatic

@ZOS_RobGarrett, @ZOS_GinaBruno and @ZOS_JessicaFolsom I'm hopeful this post can lead to a constructive discussion and some changes relating to the Guild Store UI/UX for the benefit of console users.

Most of the ideas submitted below are written as a result of returning to the game after a long break and trying to catch up on missing motifs.

This is written from the perspective of a console user where there is a complete lack of add-ons and external sites that can be used to easily track/locate/price items across traders.

With 67 motifs in game as of Wolfhunter and more coming in the upcoming Murkmire DLC, something needs to be done to improve the user experience when looking to buy/price motifs.

Below are some suggestions for small changes that I believe would greatly improve the UX:

• Ability to search for motifs within a specific chapter - provide a drop down option allowing selection of a single chapter to narrow search;
• Ability to exclude known motif - provide option to exclude items already in your library and show only motifs that need to be learnt;
• Not as important as above but it would be nice to have an ability to limit a motif search to a specific item e.g. Staves - provide option where search returns just Staves in all motif styles and with option to exclude known styles in library;

Not only should the above changes lead to an improved UX but they should reduce the impact on servers by providing a smaller subset of results from a more refined search query.

Please can we also get an overhaul of the UI for console guild traders:

• The space on the right of the trader window is completely wasted for nearly every guild transaction (see below). There is zero user benefit being gained by so much space being devoted to an image of the trader when viewing items such as motif or item sets;
• The middle column marked with icon number 2 needs to be widened. In the example shown, the long motif name forces the rest of the text to move down the window. When scrolling through multiple motifs this text moves up and down as does the “Already in your library” and is an unnecessary eye strain and poor UX/UI;
• Please do something else with the left hand column marked with icon number 1. From my personal experience, I find this to be poor UI/UX because:
  1. The font size is too small as this area is so confined by the space dedicated to an image of the trader;
  2. Please remove the shade/blur effect that covers the items above/below the item in focus. This presently causes unnecessary eye strain in addition to the small font;
  3. I personally find when trying to sort through large numbers of motif that even though I try to look at the middle column and the “Already in your library” text area, my eye is drawn to the left column to try and see what is coming next.
  
  I feel a more consistent design is needed in columns 1 & 2 in terms of space and font. This issue would likely be reduced by introducing filters mentioned above.

Asking for a rework of this layout does take into consideration the item preview that goes with furniture plans. In saying that, the image preview is done behind these columns and replaces the view of the trader. Expanding columns 1 & 2 would still leave space for the preview of most furniture plans and the preview can scale to make use of the available space.

A lot of QOL changes above could easily be applied across a number of categories within the Guild Store. Similar QOL changes could be easily by made to assist trying to find armour or weapons within a specific item set.

Likewise furnishing recipes could benefit hugely from being able to exclude items that are already known and/or having an ability to limit a recipe search to a racial/factional style.

Finally, please can we have a keyword search facility that allows users to search based on the term entered.

EvilAutoTech

All these things would be great. I would love a trader ui upgrade.

asharokh

I agree they need to have search added to guild store. There were quite a few threads up asking for it over the last couple weeks unfortunately they all got pushed to the bottom by the panic over cast time for wards and summerfall event panic threads. this is a QoL feature people have been asking for since launch and they will not respond to any of the threads on it not even with a reason as to why it cannot be done.

LordLomax

A search should be added as a minimum I totally agree with the above

akl77

Also there’s still no category for writs, Runeboxes, style pages etc, it’s a pain to search them under legendary items.

Starlock

akl77 wrote: »

Also there’s still no category for writs, Runeboxes, style pages etc, it’s a pain to search them under legendary items.

Style pages should have been classified as motifs. That’s essentially what they are. For the longest time I was searching for them under legendery motifs and really confused as to why no trader anywhere was selling them.

Hoolielulu

If the system is smart enough to tell me which motifs I already know it should be smart enough to let me search for only the ones I don't know.

I expect too much...

HansaBergen

I gave up on buying motifs... My eyes going crazy scrolling all the traders after missing motifs..

asharokh

Hoolielulu wrote: »

If the system is smart enough to tell me which motifs I already know it should be smart enough to let me search for only the ones I don't know.

I expect too much...

You don't expect too much, but receive too little.

Katahdin

I feel for you guys with no search function for the guild stores

Mr_Walker

Hoolielulu wrote: »

If the system is smart enough to tell me which motifs I already know it should be smart enough to let me search for only the ones I don't know.

I expect too much...

This!!! The db query already identifies which you have/don't have, it's a trifling matter to add this as a drop box.

HuskyRook941840

Honestly, I think all the developers need to create a brand new character on a console they don’t usually play on, and using NO employee perks and assuming no background knowledge or use of other apps, go to a guild trader and try to find something.

If they had to do this with any regularity, I think this would change more quickly.

@Zos: implement Google’s 20% time and use it for this?

IwakuraLain42

All very valid ideas ... but looking at the companies track record with regard to changes and improvement to the games UI (regardless of platform BTW) I would gauge the chances of this ever been implemented at a very low chance. The only place I can remember ZOS ever adding a search function to the GUI later was in the Housing Furniture Crown Store shop interface (and only there !). Show the priorities very clearly :-(

Left4Daud

As a PC player using a gamepad without those kinds of AddOns, I completely understand and support your plight.

AlnilamE

Yeah, that UI is very unhelpful and could totally use an overhaul.

Signed,

A PC player.

Silver_Strider

Give me a search function.
Give me bulk crafting too because crafting 12 empty cups for the New Life Writs is a ***** to do one at a time.

El_Borracho

Meanwhile, back at ZOS headquarters:

TheMythicDawn

Long overdue

CaffeinatedMayhem

Awesome Guild Store addon would be perfect to add into the base game menus, including gamepad. I feel so bad for console players who can't use addons.

Dradhok

I would love a polished UI and a search field. If I wanted to spend hours scrolling through spreadsheets I’d just stay at work. This has been one of the worst trader systems since launch and there hasn’t been any work done to improve it. Games are supposed to be entertainment not a boring tedious task.

HansaBergen

I even buy crowns for a update like that.. My eyes after scrolling for 3 hours in all traders hurt me so much i have to stop playing for the rest of the day..

Reverb

thatlaurachick wrote: »

Awesome Guild Store addon would be perfect to add into the base game menus, including gamepad. I feel so bad for console players who can't use addons.

This. Every aspect of Awesome Guild Store should be incorporated into the base UI.

Nestor

Awesome Guild Store functionality with Advanced Filters would be so so so much better that the stock ui. Console folks would probably stop hating the kiosk system might not come to love it, but could make it better

rexagamemnon

The ability to search out specific sets would be great to

Dradhok

Nestor wrote: »

Awesome Guild Store functionality with Advanced Filters would be so so so much better that the stock ui. Console folks would probably stop hating the kiosk system might not come to love it, but could make it better

I’ve never been a fan of the “kiosk system” simply because I don’t like spending an entire day shopping for a specific item. I’d like to see some sort of traders post implemented where one could type in what they are looking for and it would direct you to guild traders that might carry it. Even if there was a fee or if I had to buy it as a furnishing off the crown store, the time saved would improve my gaming experience.

FixedBlade123

I fully agree. Scrolling through every trader's list of motifs is a real pain. Especially when one doesn't have what you're looking for and you have to go to the next vendor and scroll through everything again. It makes me want to fall asleep on the spot due to the tedious nature of the cumbersome search.