iPad PDF Annotation: Need simple UI/UX Fixes.

[Cash_Boston 4]

Evernote's killer feature is in-PDF search, which downright *sucks* on all competing platforms.  So a suggestion:  The UX of PDF annotation in Evernote on an iPad has unnecessary steps.  If you read a lot of PDFs (I'm a grad student at Harvard and the school assigns a ridiculous load of reading each week, 95% of which are via PDF), the need to toggle between a) page control view (to scroll), b) highlight and c) make margin notes is 4 pen selections vs. what could be one.  Please fix this or allow integrated use of an external PDF editor (as you do with Preview on the Mac).  

EXAMPLE OF THE MULTIPLE BUTTON CLICKS WHERE THERE SIMPLY COULD BE ONE

Here are some process steps to illustrate where the UI is cumbersome, and where it could be streamlined, as well as 2 annoying bugs that have really hampered progress:

• Open a PDF in Evernote
• Select annotation (and there's a bug where when you do so, the page size changes and the cursor jumps back some pages)
• Select scroll to compensate for the cursor jump bug to get to your desired note-taking spot in the PDF
• Select 'highlight' (which means selecting one icon in the vertical button list, waiting 2-3 seconds for that menu to 'settle,' then selecting the 'highlight icon,' then re-selecting the highlight icon because it often doesn't 'take' the first time, then highlight the PDF).  

To go back to scroll is simple and a great model of how simple it should be to toggle between the most common annotation features:  Highlighting, note-taking, scrolling.  To scroll after highlighting, you then just:

• Select the scroll icon

Why can't we just have a persistent button in the margin so with one-button selection, we can toggle between scroll, highlight, and note-taking?

ONE ADDITIONAL BUG, AND IT'S A KILLER

Since Evernote PDF editor doesn't auto-save, if I've highlighted several pages in a PDF then get up for a few minutes, when I come back, if the screen lock has activated, unlocking doesn't bring-up the last Evernote screen (the PDF) on which I was working.  I lose *all* annotations I hadn't saved as a result.  I've lost hours of note-taking and annotations.  Yes, I could get in the habit of constantly pressing "save," but doing so bounces me out of the PDF to the main interface (why??) so I have to open-up the PDF again, select 'annotate,' scroll to the last edits (why don't you offer an option to 'return to the last annotated page' like Kindle?), and start again.

CUMULATIVE 'TAX' BASED ON IPAD ANNOTATION UI CHOICES

Add the annotation needless button clicks, the loss of annotations if the screen lock activates, and the lack of 'intelligent scrolling' to return me to the previous spot where I left off, and a 'productivity tool' starts to really tax my progress.  

Are any of the issues noted above in the process of being addressed?

[gazumped 11,667]

Hi.  This is a -mainly- user-supported forum,  and although Evernote staffers do eventually read these posts,  the company doesn't (usually) comment on what may or may not be in current development.  They're certainly going over current applications with a view to improving the overall experience - see the Blog for information: https://evernote.com/blog/

As a subscriber you can give your feedback direct to the company via the Support link*,  and -maybe- get some personalised feedback;  otherwise I'm afraid you can only keep an eye on new releases and hope for the best.

* https://help.evernote.com/hc/requests/new