So the options seem to be, in no particular order:
Next to the Filter icon is the word FIlter âŚthat should denote and make it clear that this is the Filter row. So it looks like there is room on the lower bar to start with a wordâŚSay âRateâ or âLabelâ or something like that to clearly denote the function of the following buttonsâŚthat would just shift things over a bitâŚ
I also found myself confused by the different color labels to use for filtering and setting this week. I donât usually use color labels, and for star ratings, I use the keyboard. Of course, I solved the problem by clicking all the color labels and finding the correct one. However, I believe this need to experiment rather than âjust knowâ can be described as not intuitive.
Iâm wondering if this possible confusion is not a symptom of something else. At the bottom of the UI, there are two sets of controls. One is local and applies only to the selected image, while the other applies to the view. At the top, there are also multiple sets of controls that apply to different things. For example, one âstarâ is a filter rating, and the other âstarâ configures the contents of the thumbnail overlay.
I feel a slight but not significant lack of consistency in the UI, where âthings in this region do X/in this region do Y.â This inconsistency makes it difficult to predict the behavior of the UI without experimentation or reading the manual. Some improvements to the design language that state, âall the behavior that applies to the selected image is defined in this section, and all the behavior that changes views in this partâ could help?
I think it is somewhat confusing, but it cannot be avoided completely.
If you want to assign a star rating, and filter by star rating, or assign a colour label, and filter by a colour label, then the icons will be similar.
But, sometimes icons are reused just because they are there, it seems. For example, why is this icon a star? Has nothing to do with star ratings:
Honestly, thatâs a bit disheartening, especially coming from you who know very well that I have several outstanding very concrete contributions (1 open PR for dtdocs, of which you are a reviewer, and at least three implemented features for DT, to which you contributed with very insightful comments and suggestions, that are waiting that 5.4 is released before they become actual PRs).
I didnât ask for any dev cycles. If the discussion goes somewhere and we end up with some nice ideas, I will prepare a concrete proposal and most probably also go ahead and implement it (after making sure that the core devs approve of it, as I always did so far).
I wrote the following paragraph or similar ones many times, but here it comes again:
Before one can come up with an âactionable suggestionâ, one must first (1) identify a problem, (2) reason about possible solutions, (3) turn the abstract idea of a solution into an actionable plan (4) [possibly] go ahead and implement it.
This specific discussion is in between phases (1) and (2). Since this is a discussion forum, it seems like an appropriate venue to have it. There is some agreement that there is margin for improvement, and we are brainstorming on possible solutions.
This should be clear to any reader of this thread, so how does the remark that this is not âactionableâ (it clearly is not) advance the discussion?
This may very well be the final conclusion of this discussion. But letâs give it a chance, shall we?
Yes, I get that. And yes, the tooltip clears up the situation. Still, when one looks at the icon, it says âstarâ, not âoverlayâ or âmetadataâ. While the latter is probably impossible to capture in an icon, âoverlayâ might be possible to convey. These are generic examples, cannot be used directly in darktable (not consistent with the UI), just providing them as ideas:
Or maybe a âplusâ sign over a âphoto rectangleâ, like this (but using a simple rectangle instead, to remain consistent with the rest of the UI):
I agree itâs not darktableâs greatest concern.
I didnât use colours or numbers until recently, when I realised that I donât have a use for them in my minimal overall media database management, they can be very useful in organising my workflow for each processing batch.
Yes, I had some confusions. IIRC, maybe the two sets of colour buttons were part of that.
We are all ânew usersâ when we use an aspect of dt that is new to us. But, mostly, the confusion state transitions to the accustomed state. Itâs temporary. So, in most cases, unless its a real killer, I wouldnât suggest devs to putting too much effort into it.
Mind you: Yes, the word âFilterâ is a big clue for the top panel. Perhaps the word âSetâ might not be too much effort on the bottom panel? Just a thought.
I agree that the lonely star there adds to the confusion.
What about a very simple âinformationâ icon? In the end itâs about which layers of information to show:
No one is asking for dev cycles. If this discussion goes somewhere and there is consensus about a solution I can implement it.
Is there a config option for that or do you do it in code? I cannot find it in the manual.
Left sidebar in lighttable view, collection filters:
some of the rules you can add have a âpinâ icon, those can be âpinnedâ to the top bar (see the manual).
The top filter bar is a limited short-cut to the âcollection filtersâ module.
So itâs neither a config option, nor hard-coded, you can change it any time from the lighttable view.
@kofa: thank you, learned something again 
So, let me try to bring a bit more meat to the discussion.
For the sake of simplicity and to avoid getting confused with the terminology, I assigned a letter to different groups of functions:
I would say that E, J and K belong together, as they are all about properties of the view.
H and I also belong together, as they are actions on the selection.
C is related, as it is information about the selection.
A and B are the same thing, and D belongs together.
F and G are unrelated to everything else.
So, one possible solution would be:
For the A, B, D cluster:
Result: the âCollection filtersâ module (A) centralizes all controls that have an effect on which images are listed in the lightroom or filmroll.
For the H, I, C cluster:
Result: all selection actions/info are centralized in one place.
With I no longer in the bottom panel, there would be more space to consolidate all the view properties there:
Result: All view properties (both in the lighttable and darkroom) are consistently in the same place.
Now, on the top bar there are only F and G. Two options:
Overall result:
Any thoughts?
At first I was a bit âold man yells at cloudsâ (TM paperdigits), but I can see something like this working for me - I donât change the collection filters very often, and generally use shortcuts for setting star ratings or colour labels. Iâll be watching to see what happens 
Less is more 
I would remove it completely from the bottom and include it in the thumbnails with the stars.
To avoid making it too cluttered, it would be sufficient if it were displayed in the active or hover thumbnail.
Personally, I use shortcuts 1-5 for the rating. Sometimes, though, I also click on the thumbnail.
Iâve never used the âbottomâ option.
So weâre talking about removing the ability to rate and colour-flag images from the darkroom, except via shortcut, because we think the UI of the filters looks too similar?
Makes sense and it will help me not doing over and over again the same mistake (described in OP)!
DT is very good, but it could be better! 
The rating widget is already not visibile in the darkroom, is it?
Um, why did I have it in my head that it was? I stand corrected.
