[Overview] Reduce friction upon file creation

[marcoambrosini]

Problem

When a user creates a new file, we always ask them to think of a file title in advance. In some cases on top of that we ask them to pick a template. This "cuts the flow" and adds friction to the interaction.

Thinking of a title in advance may require users to "zoom out" and engage in the difficult task of trying to name something that does not exist yet. We've all been there.. Moreover, depending on the document's final form, it might need to be renamed anyway.
It's also not a common UX pattern anymore and other similar products in the industry do not require users to name their files in advance.

Proposed solution

• Don't ask for a name in advance and assign a placeholder name automatically instead
• Don't show templates in advance, always open a blank
• Make it very easy to rename a any file once a document is open
• Make it very easy to access and apply templates from the blank page view of the opened app

cc @nextcloud/designers

To do

* @nextcloud/viewer

• Allow renaming by clicking the title viewer#3002

* Text

• Do not ask for title upon creation
• Provide template selection on the blank document

* Whiteboard

• Do not ask for title upon creation
• Provide template selection on the blank document

* Collabora

• Do not ask for title upon creation
• Provide template selection on the blank document

* Onlyoffice

• Do not ask for title upon creation
• Provide template selection on the blank document

References

Screen.Recording.2025-10-14.at.14.21.31.mov

Screen.Recording.2025-10-27.at.10.42.39.mov

[Miran-Firdausi]

I would like to work on this issue.
TODO:

• Directly open the editor without asking for title. Title can have a default title like Unitiled
• Allow renaming on clicking the title.

[marcoambrosini]

Hi @Miran-Firdausi, thanks for your initiative. I just moved the issue in the server repository because this needs a wider discussion involving multiple file types. Also, are you already on our Nextcloud instance as a guest user? We have many open talk chats there where we discuss development. If you'd like to join, please send me an email with your preferred email address at marco.ambrosini@nextcloud.com :)

[Miran-Firdausi]

Hey @marcoambrosini, just sent you a mail.

[kra-mo]

Don't show templates in advance, always open a blank

Since blank also already is an option, I think it is fine to make users choose beforehand. Some other applications do this as well. (The dialog also gives you an easy out if you misclick or something like that.)

I agree with the name, but retroactively applying a template feels backwards to me. At least I would have no idea where to look for them.

[marcoambrosini]

I would have no idea where to look for them

In most cases we see a blank page with shortcuts in text already. We could list them there in line and apply them on click, or simply have a templates button that opens the same dialog without adding friction to the creation flow.

Example from Notion: applying a template to a new page

Screen.Recording.2025-10-29.at.11.07.51.mov

Maybe for office apps we could show templates beforehand, but for anything text related I would really avoid it

[kra-mo]

Ok, fair enough. Something like that would make sense indeed.