Improve toolbar switch button usability

[eranl]

This is a conceptual prototype, limited by my lack of graphic design skills. Happy to ship any part of this separately if desired.

Changes:

• Replace toolbar arrow icon with separate icons for toolbar & suggestions.
• Make toolbar switch button larger.
• Highlight suggestions button when suggestions are available.

Fixes #1412.

[Helium314]

I would like to have a very consistent / stable style for the keyboard itself (both visual and behavior), so people do not have to get used to changes after upgrades. Exceptions are mostly when it's a clear improvement, or concerning minor details. Other things should be optional.

With the button change, I think the size is a clear drawback as the tool / suggestion bar is already easily too full. With the icons I'm not sure... I'm not fully opposed, but I don't see a good enough reason to change.
The color when suggestions are available is a nice detail, but in my opinion the used color is way too intense and seems out of place.

[eranl]

Other things should be optional.

Would any of these changes work as setting-controlled options?

I think the size is a clear drawback as the tool / suggestion bar is already easily too full.

How about just eliminating this shrinking?

[Helium314]

How about just eliminating this shrinking?

In my opinion it looks weird with the small icon. But increasing size of the icon instead of decreasing size of the button should take care of this.

Would any of these changes work as setting-controlled options?

For the highlighting it would work.
The current style seems very "aggressive" to me, as it uses accent color (unless customizing all colors). Have you tried with more subtle color changes? Maybe a smaller color change would be ok for being enabled without setting.

[eranl]

In my opinion it looks weird with the small icon. But increasing size of the icon instead of decreasing size of the button should take care of this.

But that wouldn't help with hitting the button. Can I enlarge both the icon and the button?

The current style seems very "aggressive" to me, as it uses accent color (unless customizing all colors). Have you tried with more subtle color changes? Maybe a smaller color change would be ok for being enabled without setting.

I couldn't find anything else that would work in all color schemes. This one seems to be the only color meant to be used on the toolbar. Would the gradient-ed version of it used for pinned keys work?

[eranl]

With the icons I'm not sure... I'm not fully opposed, but I don't see a good enough reason to change.

To me as a new user, this button seemed very confusing. It was hard for me to tell what it did. The right and left directions it points to didn't help. That's why I think more topical icons would be better.

[Helium314]

But that wouldn't help with hitting the button.

I don't understand, why did you suggest removing the shrinking then? Or is there some side effect in increasing the icon size I didn't consider?

Can I enlarge both the icon and the button?

If you enlarge the button it will be too tall for the toolbar in landscape mode. Even in portrait mode you could enlarge it by only ~5%

[eranl]

why did you suggest removing the shrinking then?

Please correct me if I'm wrong - my understanding is that it's shrinking the button, thus making it harder to hit.

[Helium314]

I think we might be talking about somewhat different things, or understand things differently. I hope this helps clarifying:
Currently we shrink the button, and keep the icon size default. I think if we remove the shrinking, we should increase icon size because otherwise the button looks too empty.
If we enlarge the button (i.e. multiply width / height with a factor > 1), it will not fit the bar in landscape mode, and will not fit in portrait mode if the factor is > 1.05 (estimated).

[eranl]

Got it. So can I remove the shrinking and enlarge the icon?

[Helium314]

Yes, I think it should be fine.

[eranl]

can I remove the shrinking and enlarge the icon?

Done.

[eranl]

Would the gradient-ed version of it used for pinned keys work?

Have you seen this question?

Also, what's your final word about changing the icons?

[MiMoHo]

Heads-up in case you rebase and revive this: my PR #2695 also reworks the collapsed expand key, so two spots would meet yours on the current (Kotlin) base:

1. KeyboardIconsSet.kt — Highlight active toolbar toggles and simplify the incognito key #2695 adds a new const right after NAME_TOOLBAR_KEY and edits the same holo/lxx/rounded icon maps. Your NAME_SUGGESTIONS_KEY const is orthogonal, so both belong, but they sit in the same block — a mechanical merge would want a hand-check rather than picking one side.
2. The expand-key icon/tint logic — your updateExpandButton() swaps the icon and highlights it when suggestions are available; Highlight active toolbar toggles and simplify the incognito key #2695 splits the incognito expand-key icon and tints the expand key with the accent while incognito+collapsed. Same method, complementary intent, so they'd need reconciling by hand rather than a raw 3-way merge.

Note this PR currently edits the old SuggestionStripView.java, so it'd need the rebase to current main first anyway. Happy to coordinate whenever you pick it back up.

[eranl]

Thanks for the heads-up @MiMoHo, but I think this PR, other than the part I spun off and was merged, is a lost cause. #2292 would make it much less necessary.