Current problem
Fluxer currently labels a user's community identity as "Community nickname". Conflating "nickname" with self-chosen identity causes UX confusion and creates technical/design debt:
- Self-identity vs. external label: A "Display Name" is how you choose to present yourself publicly. A "Nickname" is traditionally an alias someone else assigns to you (e.g., local phone contacts or Steam friend aliases).
- Feature roadblock: Using "nickname" for community profiles burns the term early, creating confusion if Fluxer ever implements client-side friend aliases, contact notes, or address book features later.
Proposed change
Adopt clear terminology tiering:
- (Global) Display Name: Baseline public identity set by the user.
- Community Display Name: Per-community override set by the user (replaces "Community nickname").
- Nickname (or Friend Nickname): Reserved for client-side aliases set privately by friends/contacts (and a feature request I'm soon to open asking we make it an option for everyone), visible only to the person who set it, overriding display names locally.
Platform
macOS, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iOS, Fluxer Feedback
Additional information
Attached references:
- Fluxer Settings: Current UI using "Community nickname" for community-scoped identity.
- Slack: Demonstrates using "Display Name" for how a user chooses to be addressed.
- Steam (Profile vs. Friends list): Demonstrates clean separation between self-identity ("Profile Name") and viewer-side labeling ("Change Nickname").