Typing indicator causes jumping of messages

[okoetter]

• I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates

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Bug Description

When someone is typing a message I see a typing indicator (...) at the bottom. Then all previous messages are moved a little upwards. When the typing person makes a pause from typing, the typing indicator disappears and the above messages are moved down where they were before. This can happen several times when a person is writing a longer message.
I have Signal Desktop on a second monitor and you can see this up and down at the edge of the field of view, which is very distracting.

Steps to Reproduce

1. open Signal Desktop
2. open a conversation
3. wait until someone in that conversation is typing

Actual Result:
4. notice how the typing indicator moves all messages up
5. notice how the messages come back down when the typing indicator disappears

Expected Result:
A reserved space for the typing indicator so that appearing and disappearing does not affect messages positions

Platform Info

Signal Version: v5.7.1
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 20H2 64bit, Build 19042.1052
Linked Device Version: OnePlus 8, Android 11 (Oxygen OS 11.0.7.7.IN21BA)

[technical-debt-collector]

I'd love to look at solving this one if it's not already taken by someone else.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@technical-debt-collector Before you write any code, the big question is around what the design should be. If we reserve space for a typing indicator, that's quite a bit of lost space, all the time. We'll want to talk about that first.

[Onixarts]

Please repair this. It is the most frustrating issue ever. I hate signal just for that single piece of... s..t. Typing indicator should not move any message up or down. It sholud just apears between last message and new message textbox.
When someone is typing it shows like a normal messae, causing older messages scrolls up. Then the new message is displayed but the typing indicator disapears a while later causing all messages shaking up and down.. agrhhhh >:

[technical-debt-collector]

If resizing the typing-indicator (alternatively replacing it with something shorter in height?) and avatars (only for the typing bubble row) is an option then that certainly opens up opportunities to limit lost space. But that depends on typing indication readability being an acceptable trade-off.

Also, there seems to be a few pixels that can be reclaimed per message by placing avatars a little higher next to their corresponding message. They're currently taking up a littlebit of empty space below each message bubble:

I'd be happy to provide some experimental changes if that would help the discussion, just let me know.

[Penguin-Guru]

For the record, I have on many occasions misclicked as a result of people suddenly starting or stopping to type. Especially annoying when I accidentally click the wrong emoji and then have to quickly remove it and try to add the correct one again (while the other person is still typing). I would consider this a functional problem.

[kdekooter]

This was thoroughly discussed in the community forums (e.g. here: https://community.signalusers.org/t/typing-indicators-reduce-distraction/6574/28). Including great solutions.

Now what? How do we get this issue on the backlog??