Edit Features Default to Edit Vertices of Polygon
Real-world Problem: First responders are working on an Urban Search & Rescue team during a tornado or flooding event. To organize their search operations, they use a Web AppBuilder product called Intel Manager within SAR Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) to quickly create search segments and monitor what has been searched. These first responders may need to quickly edit their search segments to accommodate a change of plans or fix a mistake. The Web AppBuilder workflow is to use the Smart Editor widget, select a polygon (search segment) and drag individual vertices to edit the shape. These search segments often follow the lines of roads, Census Tracts, or rivers. In the field, users will likely want to drag an individual vertex to change the shape of the polygon.
We are creating this Intel Manager application in Experience Builder to prepare for the deprecation of Web AppBuilder and noticed a change in the workflow of editing a polygon. The Edit widget in Experience Builder defaults to increase or decrease the size of the polygon by dragging the edge of a rectangle. Dragging individual vertices to change the shape of the polygon is far more useful than dragging the edge of a rectangle and increasing or decreasing the size of the polygon.
Audience: First Responders, Urban Search & Rescue Team Members,
Technical Problem: When users want to edit a polygon from the Edit widget, users choose "Select" under Edit features, then click on a polygon. That polygon becomes editable, but a rectangle appears. Users can drag the edge of the rectangle to edit the size of the polygon, maintaining the original shape. To edit individual vertices of the polygon, the user must click on the polygon again. The current default of stretching a polygon is different from the workflow that Web AppBuilder and Esri users are accustomed to and is likely not as useful as editing individual vertices (in our opinion). This need to double click the polygon was confusing for us to figure out and will likely be more confusing to our users. (However, we will demonstrate this workflow in our tutorial to our users).
Potential Solution: When a user clicks on a polygon to edit within the Edit widget, default to the ability to edit individual vertices first rather than dragging/stretching a rectangle.
