New user profile switcher in Chrome

[Ichinisan]

Now it requires more clicks and more mouse movement. Furthermore, the UI implies that you are SWITCHING profiles, incorrectly implying that your previous profile will not remain open.

I don't like it.

It also doesn't support keyboard navigation correctly. In earlier versions of Chrome, I could press Ctrl+Shift+M to drop-down the profile list, use the up/down arrow keys to select one, press Enter (then Ctrl+T and type whatever web address or shortcut I want).

Instead of one vertical list of user profiles, I now get a list with multiple rows. Even when I have navigated this far using the keyboard, this particular dialog doesn't show keyboard focus on any of the profiles. I try pressing up/down arrows and keyboard focus does not appear. I have to press left or right to make it show one of the profiles selected with focus.

The new switcher appears to be designed with touch screens in mind, but the thing you have to click/tap to get there has actually shrunken to a tiny name with no picture. It no longer has the profile picture at the top of each browser window. The old way totally made sense because 1) it would let you know instantly which profile you're using at-a-glance, which helps a lot when managing work / personal stuff, and 2) it was large enough to tap with a touch-screen device; like when I use remote desktop from my iPad.

When the profile list pops-up, it looks like I can press the down arrow to go to the second row, but I can't. I have to use the left or right arrow keys to get to any profile.

Ugh.

 

[Ichinisan]

I just submitted feedback through Chrome's Help menu.

UI concerns with new profile switcher. It requires more clicks and more mouse movement.

1) Restore the profile picture for each browser window. It seems that the new dialog is optimized for touch screens, but getting to it has taken a step back because you must click a tiny name. It's no longer possible to tell which profile I'm using with a quick glance.

2) It should only take one click/tap to show the profile switcher.

3) Have keyboard focus on one of the profiles without requiring the user to press left/right arrows first. Focus can start on the first profile or on current profile. At the very least, do this whenever a keyboard was used to get to the switcher.

4) Allow using the up/down arrow keys to move between rows of profiles. Currently, it requires you to cycle through all profiles with left/right arrow keys.

 

[sweenish]

Chrome has deviated so much from what it used to be.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Furthermore, the UI implies that you are SWITCHING profiles, incorrectly implying that your previous profile will not remain open.

On any system I've ever used (so, most of them) with multiple user support, "switch" users leaves all users logged in.

Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, I guess, but Chrome is being consistent with OS behavior and terminology, and that's not a bad thing either.

 

[Ketchup]

A switcher "with touch screens in mind." So in other words, it's the Windows 8 version, lol.

Seems redundant since this is what Windows User Accounts are for, but I suppose I could see it as an alternate way to do the same thing, if the browser was the only thing you cared about.

 

[Ichinisan]

A switcher "with touch screens in mind." So in other words, it's the Windows 8 version, lol.

Seems redundant since this is what Windows User Accounts are for, but I suppose I could see it as an alternate way to do the same thing, if the browser was the only thing you cared about.

Profiles within the browser are super useful because you can use them simultaneously...even side by side.

If I want to use my brother's Amazon account (with Prime), I load his profile and copy-paste the product URL from mine. We also share an eBay account through his email, so I do that through his profile.

My brother can do the same with Netflix in my profile.

 

[Ichinisan]

I really hope they change it so it doesn't require any more clicks than it did before. That would be really easy. The behavior should be changed so that one click brings up the profile switcher window. Basically, clicking my name should bring up the same thing it does when I click "Switch person."

It already requires much more mouse movement than the previous implementation, but it can be even worse in a dual-monitor setup (like I use at work). The dialog appears on the other monitor. Would be nice if the dialog would center over the window that spawned it.

Appearing on the wrong display... Chrome used to have that problem with every message / dialog, including any javascript alert message or input prompt. I'd waste a couple seconds wondering why the page isn't responding, only to find that there was a message on the other monitor that needed to be dismissed. Chrome had that problem for a looong time before it was finally fixed, but that was long ago.

[edit]
OK, so it seems to appear on the wrong monitor every time :/

 

[TheRyuu]

Can't this be disabled under chrome://flags?

Might be under an option called "new-profile-management".

 

[Ichinisan]

Can't this be disabled under chrome://flags?

Might be under an option called "new-profile-management".

Yes. However, I help other people over the phone very often, so I want to keep my own configuration as close to vanilla as possible.

Also, there's no guarantee that flag will be there forever.