Sign-in Interface

[ZorbaConlen1]

Hi, I noticed a change in the sign in interface (for authenticating secured services) in the latest version of Explorer (19.1.0). The webmap consumes several services (arcgis server services) that are secured with windows auth, and users must sign in with their network passwords. Previously, the sign in dialog displayed when the map first loaded. Now, instead, there is a dialog that pops up, indicating that layers are secure and it has a botton that says "view". Clicking this, opens the layers interface, and layers are shown with organge warning icons. Clicking one prompts the sign in dialog to display. But in order to load all the layers to the map one must click on each layer in turn. 

Seems like a very simple UI has become a rather cumbersome chore. I'm wondering why this change was made? Especially if there are a lot of layers, this new sign in UI could be pretty tedious.

Thanks

[NickBlack · Accepted solution]

Hi Zorba,

Sorry to hear that you find the new experience cumbersome. I can offer some insight into why this change was made. 

In the previous version users would be challenged for credentials for any secure layers when the map was initially opened. For the uninitiated user, this could be confusing since there was no context for why these prompts appear.

Certainly if there are multiple secure layers, several prompts appearing one after the other didn't seem like the best user experience. Also, if the user dismissed the credential prompt either intentionally or by mistake, the layer would not be loaded, and there was no mechanism to provide credentials without reloading the map.  

I would agree there is slightly more friction with the new UX, but we felt that it was balanced out by providing the user more context for what's happening, and also providing a mechanism for users to authenticate on their own terms. 

One thing to note is that when you authenticate successfully for one layer, any other layers that are secured with the same authentication mechanism and credentials should be automatically loaded, so you shouldn't need to tap through each one and provide the same credentials repeatedly.

If that is not happening for you please let us know, or if your scenario is slightly different then it would be great to hear about it. 

Thanks for getting in touch,

Nick

[ZorbaConlen1]

Nick, thanks for the reply. I figured there were some logical reasons and your explanation helps me to understand why the change was made. 

Regarding this point - "One thing to note is that when you authenticate successfully for one layer, any other layers that are secured with the same authentication mechanism and credentials should be automatically loaded, so you shouldn't need to tap through each one and provide the same credentials repeatedly." - It's true that the user does not have to repeatedly provide credentials, but they do have to take the time to tap on each additional layer after providing credentials on the first one. An enhancement suggestion is that once the user has authenticated one layer of a service, all the other layers from that service automatically become visible on the map. 

Our use case at Bellevue is for our firefighters to access prefire drawings (details about buidings, like locations of entrances, stairs, hazardous materials) in the field. The prefires are stored as attachments and it works pretty well. That said, they have multiple tasks they need to complete in a very short time frame as they approach the incident, and they always complain about the need to sign in. We can't really avoid that as there is sensitive data provided on the map, but I'd like to make it as quick and easy as possible.

Thanks

[NickBlack]

Thanks for clarifying the use case Zorba- it's very helpful.

An enhancement suggestion is that once the user has authenticated one layer of a service, all the other layers from that service automatically become visible on the map. 

This sounds like the desired behavior from a design/UX perspective, so if it's not happening we should fix it! Let me investigate further to see if we can reproduce the issue here. 

Regards,

Nick

[ZorbaConlen1]

Great, thanks. FYI - this is for the iOS version.