What is the purpose of the Home screen?

[holymadness]

This question is for anybody, though of course it would be interesting to hear kguil's thoughts.

I find that I never visit this screen except when I need to access the settings menu. I think that most of the additional information available on this screen (overall progress, description) could be made visible or accessible via the Library view in various ways.

Do most people find it useful? Not useful?

[Faterson]

I find it very useful in that it gives me access to the 10 (4 on iPhone) most recently opened books, regardless of the books' Library folder. So, Marvin's Home screen is a useful virtual folder, and because it's so colourful, it's visually pleasing, too.

My pleasure in using it is only spoiled because Marvin does not currently remember its position between app relaunches (see here). Once I'll be able to rely that when I abandon Marvin on the Home screen, Marvin will launch on the Home screen next time as well, then the Home screen will become even more useful. (Naturally, on other occasions, I wish to abandon Marvin while reading a book, and for that book to be launched directly upon next Marvin launch.)

[Jessica Lares]

I just like looking at it. Sometimes I just leave my iPad on the stand with it open to the home screen. It's kinda like the Kindle Screensavers except with extra stuff.

[kguil]

I once had a chat about this with a good friend. The library is your book shelves. The home screen is your coffee table - big glossy covers and text, and one-tap quick access.

On a more practical level, the home screen always shows books in the order they've last been opened whereas in the library you could be in different collections with different sort orders. So the last book(s) read might not be on top and would be harder to access.

[JBaby]

I hear what y'all are saying, but if you only read one book at a time the home screen isn't impressive at all. It just looks barren. After I finish a book I delete it from my devices. Maybe there should be an option to see the first ten books you have in your library. It could be customized further by allowing us to choose what books show up there. For example we could choose from one of the collections. Or maybe there can be a home screen specific collection.

[kguil]

@JBaby - this issue is how you define the "first" ten books to show. Currently, it is defined as the most recently opened 10 books.

[Faterson]

Well, that's why it might be useful to be able to customise what should appear on the Home screen, like JBaby says. I happen to be OK with the current setup, but that's just me; other users might prefer other setups. I really liked your library shelf vs. coffee table analogy, Kris, but to take the analogy further: would it make sense for the government to issue an edict as to which books people are allowed to put on their coffee tables? Nope. Everyone should be allowed to put on their coffee table, whatever they wish to see there. And, if you put something on your coffee table by mistake, you should be able to put it away again, returning it to the library shelf.

Also, I remember there were some technical reasons (a smaller coffee table?) for the iPhone's Home screen displaying only 4 items instead of 10 items on the iPad. I wish that number on the iPhone could be increased, though, at least slightly. In fact, that number itself might be customisable, both on the iPad and iPhone: to some people, a coffee table with 10 books might appear cluttered, while others might consider a coffee table with only 4 books barren. Still other users (JBaby?) would perhaps only like to keep a single book on their coffee table at a time, and there may well be Marvin users who dislike the very idea of a coffee table -- to them, the option to skip the use of Home screen might sound appealing (in which case, there should be an alternative way of accessing Marvin settings).

[JBaby]

Originally Posted by kguil

@JBaby - this issue is how you define the "first" ten books to show. Currently, it is defined as the most recently opened 10 books.

I, too, like the coffee table analogy. However, I shouldn't have to flip through ten books before I can place them on my coffee table because that's a waste of time. I have no reason to open books I'm not currently reading. This is probably great for people who want/need to flip back and forth between different books.

Originally Posted by Faterson

Well, that's why it might be useful to be able to customise what should appear on the Home screen, like JBaby says. I happen to be OK with the current setup, but that's just me; other users might prefer other setups. I really liked your library shelf vs. coffee table analogy, Kris, but to take the analogy further: would it make sense for the government to issue an edict as to which books people are allowed to put on their coffee tables? Nope. Everyone should be allowed to put on their coffee table, whatever they wish to see there. And, if you put something on your coffee table by mistake, you should be able to put it away again, returning it to the library shelf.

Nailed it!!!

Originally Posted by Faterson

Also, I remember there were some technical reasons (a smaller coffee table?) for the iPhone's Home screen displaying only 4 items instead of 10 items on the iPad. I wish that number on the iPhone could be increased, though, at least slightly. In fact, that number itself might be customisable, both on the iPad and iPhone: to some people, a coffee table with 10 books might appear cluttered, while others might consider a coffee table with only 4 books barren. Still other users (JBaby?) would perhaps only like to keep a single book on their coffee table at a time, and there may well be Marvin users who dislike the very idea of a coffee table -- to them, the option to skip the use of Home screen might sound appealing (in which case, there should be an alternative way of accessing Marvin settings).

If I can't pick and choose a collection or individual books to show on the Home screen then I would like it to show only the book I'm currently reading. If we can't get other options I'd rather not have the ten placeholders be visible. I really like the Home screen. To me it's like a more useful/smarter version of iBooks skeuomorphic book shelf. That book shelf is the only thing I miss about iBooks. Marvin does it better by limiting the number to ten books and by displaying useful information/links. With that said, iBooks allowed me to rearrange the shelf however I liked. I just want the Home screen to stop looking like I don't have any books when that isn't the case.

[MeSue]

Well, since I don't have a coffee table, I guess the home screen is my bedside table. And the iPhone home screen is my car dashboard. ;-) I don't really use the home screen except to look back at what I read recently and smile about it. On the iPhone I have Marvin set to open to the home screen but that's because I don't read there as much and I have usually finished the last book I was reading and need to load a new one.

[holymadness]

When I load my e-reader app, I want to do one of two things:

1. Jump immediately back into my book.
2. Browse my library for something new to read.

In my case, at least, the home screen sort of gets in the way of both of those, even if only by slowing me down for a few seconds.

[Faterson]

That is, likewise, a consequence of the unfortunate app re-launches (compare GitHub #18). Normally, if you go from Library to your book, then pressing the "Home" button in the book returns you to the Library, not the Home screen. However, if a Marvin re-launch interferes in between (and iOS forces those re-launches every now and then), then it "inserts" the Home screen into your work-flow, so to say.

The "inconsistency" of the Home button inside the book -- that it may return you to the Library on one occasion, and to the Home screen on another occasion -- has been commented upon previously by other users, who were confused by this seeming unpredictability.