Settings Needs an Organization Overhaul

[ikjadoon]

Settings has not been arranged logically or quickly; Search in Settings is a bandaid & additional friction point because users are losing time failing to understand a not-very-thoughtful hierarchy.

1. The homepage URL setting is hidden inside "Appearance". Not logical. Suggestion: put the homepage in a separate "Tabs & Home Page" category. Appearance's setting for the Home Button can link to the homepage's URL setting in the new category.
2. The address bar's search keyword shortcuts are in "Privacy and Services". Difficult to connect. Suggestion: rename this category to "Privacy and Search". 
3. "On Startup" is its own category. With a single setting. Poor use of space. Suggestion: put this in the "Tabs & Home Page" category.
4. "New Tab page" is its own category. Poor use of space. Suggestion: put this in a "Tabs & Home Page" category.
5. Per-page tracking prevention settings aren't mirrored in Site permissions. Confusing. I expect Site permissions to also show per-site tracking permissions. Suggestion: mirror tracking prevention settings between "Privacy and Search" and "Site permissions".
6. Printers is an entire category that just links to an OS Settings page. Poor use of space. Suggestion: move Printers to the "System" category.

Those are the most confusing issues that I think impact the widest set of users. I have another list of difficult-to-understand choices in menu hierarchy (i.e., 1. integrating Extensions into Settings. Why are Downloads options in Settings, but Extensions options in Extensions? 2. Why aren't Site Permissions and Privacy merged? etc. etc. ), but that's for another time.

If a user has gone to settings, then they've come for a reason and search should be a last resort. Otherwise, they should be able to do 2-4 clicks and be out of Settings. Printers is the only one that I can see worth compromising, if you've got a lot of older users who really don't understand that browsers and printers aren't at all related.

[#2]

@ikjadoon Screenshots:

[#3]

In my opinion #1 is good, i meant it's not hidden, just grey and still visible so user can press that toggle button and set the URL.

I have the same problem about #2. the "Address bar" section at the bottom of "privacy and services" is hard to find. even i myself sometimes forget where it is.

the "New tab page" section in the settings page is the most useless thing. it's literally a waste of space and there is only a single button in there that does nothing except redirecting user back to the new tab page. user can instead just open a new tab and modify the NTP from there.

[#4]

@ikjadoon  Just to help out a bit. When open the settings page, the search bar is focused. Just start typing.

In fact, almost any edge page you open the focus will be set to the search which is very handy.I don't even have to wait to let the page load to start typing

[#5]

I think they have left some free space for some new settings to come in a near future.

(Just hoping so.)

[#6]

Hmm possibly

[#7]

@ikjadoon Thanks for the thorough feedback! We're passing this on to our Settings team.

Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft Edge