> uploading a photo from an iPhone isn’t exactly an edge case
From what I've heard in articles and other sources, uploading directly from the iPhone works fine. The issue is only when students try to upload an HEIF file from a computer, instead of directly from an iPhone, which requires:
1. The student has an iPhone, which they use to take a picture of their work.
2. The student chooses not to upload directly from their iPhone, and instead wants to use their computer (presumably they're already logged in there).
3. The student's computer is a Mac, and they choose to use AirDrop (or another method that doesn't do conversion) to transfer the file instead of email (or another method that does convert to JPG).
4. The student is using Chrome/Firefox or another browser that doesn't do automatic conversion to JPG.
I would argue that this qualifies as an edge case. Presumably, CollegeBoard did their due diligence testing the basic single-device flows, but didn't cover multi-device flows, or just missed possibilities like AirDrop instead of email for transferring images.
I agree that they should have done a better job informing students; there probably should be more info on the upload page itself.
That really doesn’t sound like much of an edge case to me. I’m willing to bet it’s a pretty typical workflow that people have if they own Apple devices.
You would be surprised how many students use an iphone and a macbook but are unwilling to use safari (or icloud, photos) because of privacy concerns.
If you stay in the "regular" apple workflow everything is fine: iphone camera -> icloud/photos (airdrop/photos) -> safari. If you deviate at certain points though the workflow breaks down. Whose fault is that?
Sadly, it's not. I've had lots students who would use the Opera VPN or one of the "free" anti-virus providers VPNs because they got sold (by adds or dumb friends) that it would be safer.
You seriously over-estimate the "tech-savviness" of the average student and that really is part of the issue I'm pointing out here.
I can confirm. The average graduating high school senior or first-year college student is woefully inept at technical tasks. They grew up with tablets and smart phones, but outside the common apps, they aren't any more tech-savvy than anybody else.
Mobile uploading is often broken or inconvenient. Phone to sync service (such as dropbox or icloud) to desktop with a full functioning browser to upload. This doesn’t seem like an edge case to me. I’d expect uploading directly from a phone to be an edge case. Most people don’t want to waste time filling out forms with a touchscreen when they have a mouse and keyboard handy.
From what I've heard in articles and other sources, uploading directly from the iPhone works fine. The issue is only when students try to upload an HEIF file from a computer, instead of directly from an iPhone, which requires:
1. The student has an iPhone, which they use to take a picture of their work.
2. The student chooses not to upload directly from their iPhone, and instead wants to use their computer (presumably they're already logged in there).
3. The student's computer is a Mac, and they choose to use AirDrop (or another method that doesn't do conversion) to transfer the file instead of email (or another method that does convert to JPG).
4. The student is using Chrome/Firefox or another browser that doesn't do automatic conversion to JPG.
I would argue that this qualifies as an edge case. Presumably, CollegeBoard did their due diligence testing the basic single-device flows, but didn't cover multi-device flows, or just missed possibilities like AirDrop instead of email for transferring images.
I agree that they should have done a better job informing students; there probably should be more info on the upload page itself.