Talk:Main page ekopedia-like
Marie.Byleen 13:51, 6 February 2011 (PST) It seems like the main page is trying to do several things: 1) introduce new people to what OSE is and what is being worked on 2) point people towards ways they can help, contribute, donate, get involved 3) be a portal for those working on the project to gain quick access to specific areas.
Can one page do all these things, and if so, what should be the priority? In thinking about which categories are important, I think it is key to imagine the experience of users with different relationships to the information. User feedback could be invaluable, if there were some way to collect a significant amount of it.
My first reaction is to build separate pages for the first two uses and feature links to them on the main page, while using it mostly as a portal for quick access. Just a easily, the main page could be dedicated towards introducing people to OSE's work and feature a prominent link to a separate portal for people working on the project. Alternately, there may be a way to combine all three purposes without clutter that has yet to be pioneered.
What are important elements for the three different uses of the site? My initial thought is:
1) New Users: The 2-minute introductory video and short description of OSE on the current main site, highlights of the project?, the FAQ page and access to the forum to ask questions, links to good places to begin in exploring deeper, the blog? Is there some material that might help orient the curious that is lacking?
2) Potential Contributors: the True Fans page seems key, ways for people to get in touch with other people who are working on the projects they are interested in, instructions for getting involved, the blog What else?
3) Project Developers: this is where I think having a list of the GVCS as it currently stands that links to category pages for each technology in development becomes valuable. access to the latest blog posts, and to forums general and specific to projects.
I think the question of who the front page is for needs to be addressed before a discussion of the most relevant categories can really blossom.
Some questions: Who is the front page for? Which visitors are most important? Is there a way to get user feedback on the site? Is there a more relevant way to categorize users than the three-part one I have laid out? Which categories do you think are most important to feature on the front page? Why?
--Conor 15:06, 6 February 2011 (PST)
It's definitely possible to do those three things on the front page -
- Front and center grabs their attention
- Below that is the call to action. You've gotten their attention with the video, then they move down to this.
- Side navigation menu is for project developers who are looking for something in particular
I've found that one of the best ways to get user feedback is just to grab a friend who knows nothing about the project, sit them down at the website, and have them talk you through their thought-process as they learn about the project via the website. What confuses them? Where do they click? What do they read? What do they ignore?