i think it would be cool if there was a search string creation tool (maybe accessible as an “advanced filter” version of the standard filter panel) that maybe has a box of possible search parameters in a list on a left, a box on the right that contains information about highlighted parameter (and use cases), and a box below these boxes that would be where i could create my search string. (if i already had some filters specified in the standard filter panel, those should be pre-populated in the bottom box when i switch to “advanced filter” mode.)
i think it would be even cooler if i could save my queries within iNaturalist itself rather than having to bookmark them in my browser.
and way cooler than that would be if i could take a saved query and display the count of records that it would return as a “quick stat” that i could append onto my iNat home page. if i click on that “quick stat”, it would be nice to be able to push those results into either an Explore or an Identify screen.
so for example, i’m currently subscribed to Place X so that i can see new observations that pop up in Place X in my home page. but if instead i can create a “quick stat” that can show me there are x unreviewed observations in Place X, then i can use that instead of the subscription as the starting point for my Place X review workflow, and that can reduce the mishmash of things that show up in the stream on my home page. (also on the daily notification e-mails that i get, it would be nicer just to see the “quick stat” than a mishmash of observation updates from a place.)