Created: 15 July 2008
Contributors: Vincent
Summary
As part of the Xubuntu.org website overhaul the content of the website should also be updated to allow for better navigation and clean up outdated content (e.g. http://xubuntu.org/help still mentions you can get support from Canonical).
Release Note
Xubuntu.org has been reorganized to make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.
Rationale
Xubuntu.org is currently a bit cluttered, which makes it difficult to build a fitting new design and for visitors to find what they are looking for. The upgrade to the latest Drupal is a good opportunity to give the content a new look.
Use Cases
- Anne has learned that she might be able to resurrect her crashed computer with something called "Xubuntu". After a Google search she ends up at Xubuntu.org and with a quick glance learns that this is the correct website. It doesn't take long for her to find out more and, after seeing the screenshots and reading reviews at other websites, decide she wants to install it.
- Aafke has heard of Xubuntu but never tried it. After a raving review from her friend Anne, she decides to install it herself. She heads over to Xubuntu.org and immediately sees where to get it and which version is recommended for her.
- Christiaan, a Xubuntu user, has problems setting up Compiz. On Xubuntu.org he quickly learns where he can search for help. He also learns about the Xubuntu Desktop Guide, making him more comfortable with Xubuntu.
- Joost is an enthusiastic Xubuntu user and wants to know when a new release is out so he can be on the cutting edge. He visits Xubuntu.org and quickly reads the latest headline and sees what the newest release is. He also decides to subscribe to the RSS feed.
- While looking for the latest news on Xubuntu, Joost sees that most everybody can contribute in some way or another. Since he is a happy user of Xubuntu, he is interested in contributing and quickly learns that his desire to be on the cutting edge can help if he reports his bugs. He is quickly introduced to the process of reporting bugs.
- Wijnand reads a review of Xubuntu on a website and decides he wants to give it a try. He follows the link on the website the review was on and ends up at the Xubuntu download page.
Design
The Xubuntu.org homepage should give a very short (say two or three lines) introduction to Xubuntu, supported by a screenshot and a link to learn more. Besides, it should display the latest news headline and the possibility to read the whole news item and browse the news archive. It should also display the latest available versions with a link to get them and a very quick explanation of the differences between both. Users looking to contribute should also know where to go.
Below is a mockup of what might be the homepage structure - not sure if this intrudes too much on the design process, but it gives a quick overview of my idea of the website structure. As you can see, there are five sections which I propose are the guiding sections of the website, e.g. you could display six links at the top of pages: one to the homepage, one "About Xubuntu", one "Get Xubuntu", one "News", one "Help" and one "Contribute". Most pages can be directly under one of those sections (e.g. "Screenshots" can be under "About Xubuntu"), so not much nesting (i.e. very few clicks) is needed to help the visitor get to where they want to be.
Implementation
A testing server should be set up, with the targeted Drupal version, where work on the new content can be commenced and, if deemed useful, content of the old website can be copied to. Care should be taken to preserve the URL's used in the current website.
When the website is finished (this includes the design), it can be transfered to the Xubuntu.org servers. Xubuntu.org should be taken down during the migration (?).
Test/Demo Plan
Perhaps it is an idea to ask subscribers to the xubuntu-users mailinglist to perform certain actions and see how well they can complete them.
Comments
when it comes to news, I believe a sentence or two summary is much more powerful than the headlines. I have never felt headlines alone jump out at me. This type of thing is easy in Drupal, you should be able to specify the number of lines it presents, if I recall correctly. Unless it has changed now.
We need to remember that even if Xubuntu is free, we are still marketing the software. Without strong marketing, we will lose any share of the users out here. Here is a page[1] on what to look for, which should be brought up to date if necessary. At least the ideas presented should be considered.
I think our colors should reflect the colors in the wiki banner, and that something needs to tell users they aren't hijacked when we redirect them. The first ime the wiki sent me to the website, I closed it and started over. I didn't know it was part of Xubuntu. This needs to be made real clear.
[1]https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UnifiedUbuntuBranding
[CharlieKravetz charlie]