The Kids are Alright

★ https://martymcgui.re/2026/05/25/172430/

I’m working on a new search feature in indiebookclub which uses Open Library and supports cover images. It has me tinkering with the UI of the posting form and I’m interested in feedback about this first pass.

My first thought was to display the selected book information in a more compact, read-only block at the top of the form so you only have to select the status (want to read, currently reading, finished reading), then optionally add tags and other choices if you are using Micropub.

However, I still want to give people the option to update the book information before they post, so I was considering a button that would change the book information into editable fields. I experimented with various options and did not come up with anything I loved. I am now leaning towards always showing the fields with the populated values. Keep it simple.

I did make the form more compact overall: less padding inside the form fields, less vertical space between them, and a horizontal layout on larger screens (using this WCAG technique). I also moved the timezone offset field out of a collapsed details element.

For comparison, below is a screenshot of the form as it exists. There are still a few parts of it that need to be put into my mockups, like choosing ISBN or DOI.

There will still be an option to use this form without searching Open Library, so if you are using a bookmarklet or prefer to type in all the fields, that will continue to work.

I look forward to any feedback or questions!

Want to watch: Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians

via “Blackjack”, episode #466 of This American Life podcast

Want to read: Exvangelical and Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back by Blake Chastain (ISBN 9780593717073)

Want to read: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta (ISBN 9780063226883)