A quote boost has 3 three factors:
Display: mastodon links should show full post instead of open graph. App level?
Compose: quote should be on same level as boost. Maybe double tap? App level.
Analytics: original toot collects quotes, notifying author. That's system level, baby.
Personally I don't like twitter design, with quote on same level of simple retweet. Although Mastodon boost is somewhat too slippery (and... Uneventful? Gimme confetti ), in my mind boost is first, almost muscle memory, and quote is more thought of, requiring precision.
Maybe double-tap boost opens quote compose? It rewards "advanced" users without adding cruft for casual ones.
Ah we gotta do something for mention being on top of original, with answer before original comment.
It may be standard for microblogging, but it's hella confusing for outsiders.
It needs to be self-explanatory (think screenshots shared via text. What am I seeing here?). How? No idea. But it's broken, currently. We can do better (than corporate solutions)