There is a need for instructions

[LinuxOnTheDesktop]

Thank you for your chess clock. I have version 2.0.1.

I am afraid that I do not find the clock intuitive; each time I use it I have to look at the instructions; and I remain ignorant of how to set the increment. I am unsure that I even know what corresponds to the increment on the display - is it the figure after the dot? I have trouble, too, moving from setting one player's clock to the other. (Perhaps it was a bad idea to use as a mechanism within the app the mechanism - the back button/gesture - that Android uses in order to leave apps.)

Some in-app instructions would be useful, and I'd like to be told, here, how to set the increment. Thank you.

[ldeso]

Thanks a lot for creating this issue.

The increment is the number of seconds displayed before starting the clock:

05:03.0 | 05:03.0
    ↑         ↑

The increment can only be set before starting the clock, either by touching the screen and dragging up and down, or by pressing the up and down hardware keys.

The procedure to set different times for each player is indeed not at all intuitive, and I am open to changing it. Currently you have to:

1. Set the increment by dragging up and down
2. Set the time that you want Black to have by dragging left and right
3. Start the clock by tapping the screen
4. Pause the clock with a back gesture
5. Set the time that you want White to have by dragging up, down, left and right

I agree with you that in-app instructions would be very useful. However, I am not sure yet if I will add them to the app, for two reasons:

1. I am a beginner at Android development and I don't know how to do it
2. instructions would need to be translated in many languages and I am not sure how to set this up

I am going to leave this open because it is a very valid issue. For a more intuitive chess clock app, I recommend you the chess clock that is available as an offline tool in the new Lichess mobile app (GitHub, Google Play).

[LinuxOnTheDesktop]

Thank you for the rapid and detailed response.

So, then number between the colon and the full-stop is the increment? But you say that one sets the increment by dragging up-and-down, and so doing changes the number before the colon.

I am afraid that I find the app too confusing to use. So I will look at the Lichess clock that you were good enough to suggest.

If adding written instructions is too hard, then perhaps you could use some graphical representation within the app - but that, too sounds hard - of perhaps make a (wordless) video showing how one sets things, and put a link to that video somewhere.

[ldeso]

I should have been clear that before applying my instructions, the device needs to be oriented such that the text on the screen appears horizontal to the user.

Thanks for your detailed user experience report and your suggestions. I hope the Lichess app works well for you.