Dear Proton Team & Community,

I am a long-time admirer of Proton's commitment to privacy and security, and I am currently evaluating your ecosystem (specifically Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Docs, Proton Sheets, and Lumo AI) for my professional work as an author, ghostwriter and designer.

Because I handle highly sensitive, unpublished manuscripts, unique fictional languages, and proprietary world-building data, the zero-access encryption and no-logs policy of Proton Drive are essential for my workflow. However, I am encountering a significant UX/UI hurdle regarding visual organisation that limits my ability to use Proton Drive effectively for creative projects.

The Challenge: Currently, Proton Drive's folder-based structure forces a rigid, old-school file organisation model (by date, name, sequential order) that resembles outdated workflows from the 1980s and doesn't match how (creative) minds work today.

Specific Pain Points:

• Visual noise: File names and metadata are always visible, cluttering the creative space with no option to hide them within chosen folders or file categories for a cleaner creative view.
• Aspect ratio distortion: Preview images don't display in their natural shapes but are cut into rectangular boxes, making visual scanning difficult.
• No visual distinction between file types: Standard images, videos, and documents all look the same in the folders. Inspiration for modern file presentation can potentially be drawn from Mymind or milanote although being fundamentally different company models with severe privacy and security downsides.
• Static folder structures: Static file arrangements (order by name, date or size only) don’t allow free spatial organisation, making moodboard-style file organisation impossible.
• File types and grouping: Cannot create modern visual clusters/file stacks due to restriction surrounding traditional file formats, making file grouping outside of rigid, hierarchical folder trees impossible. Multiple related files stacked into one swipeable visual unit similar to social media carousels or iOS desktops stacks instead of multi-layered folder trees would further reduce visual noise.
• Linear folder structure: Cannot create non-hierarchical groupings that match creative thinking patterns. Lack of tags forces duplicates allocated to different folders further amplifying visual noise.
• Dated workflow: While faster loading and smoother scrolling has been implemented into the Proton Drive photo experience, the folder structures in Proton Drive itself still don’t run smoothly and lack sophisticated shortcuts (e.g.: preview accessed but not exited through space bar; preview of excel and word files not supported at all).

Specific Requests: 

1. Visual noise reduction: Ability to hide file names/metadata, aspect ratio preservation, clear visual file distinction, modern file stacking, etc.
2. Spatial organisation within traditional folder structures: Ability to use traditional folders simultaneously as visual boards by arranging files on a free-form canvas instead of the traditional limitation to archaic folder organisation by name, date or size.
3. Flexible file organisation outside traditional folder trees: Non-linear grouping (not forced into date/name/sequential order), tagging and metadata that enhances rather than clutters.

Why This Matters: I am not against traditional folders or file naming conventions, I use them daily. What I'm asking for is freedom in visual handling of my files. Creative work of authors and ghostwriters requires fluidity: In one moment you are working on the fundament, the world-building, the concept images, the character profiles, or even the actual chapters of a story. In the next moment, efficiency becomes the enemy of creativity. In this fluid state of creativity, you need to be able to hide all visual noise in order to dive deep into your world or character depictions, bath in the visuals of the story you created to gain new momentum and ideas before you can dive back into the working state of creativity. This is why the ability to reduce visual noise or archaic workflow disruptions matter to creative minds.

As a privacy-conscious professional, I am hesitant to implement non-encrypted alternatives like Pinterest, Milanote or the likes for sensitive data is better stored in local and secure file faults such as Proton Drive. If Proton Drive could just bridge the gap between secure storage and modern creative workflow that so many creative writers are missing, it would likely become my primary tool for all creative projects and allow me to completely move my whole workflow to Proton.

I would appreciate any insight you can share regarding the timeline for any of the above-mentioned features or if there is a specific product team I should direct this feedback to.

Thank you for building tools that prioritise user privacy. I hope to soon call Proton my one and only creative home base, and look forward to your response.

Best regards,
AW