On 2010-12-08 22:12, Steven Ottens wrote:
Hi All,
Since I've volunteered and been drafted as a Ux/UI guy for the redesign of the website a couple of remarks and questions on the idea for the new website. For me and probably also for the designers as well it would be nice to define who the visitors of the new website will be. I came up with these three main groups. -new users -users (artists/designers etc) -developers These three groups have different needs and expectations from the site. This is my view on their needs and expectations, feel free to shoot holes into them/enhance them.
I think it is great that you are approaching this in systematic manner!
As for the groups you've mentioned, I think it is good to recognize that our adience is diverse and that several major groups can be identified. But keep in mind that these groups can (and do) overlap, and that they can also follow each other quite quickly (someone downloads Inkscape, finds there is something wrong and files a bug report or tries to fix it himself, for example).
New users The new user group has been addressed by the 'Big Issue' talk on blenderguru. Short version: -they need to know what it is, what it does and where to get it. -frontpage is their first introduction to Inkscape and as such should be focussed towards their need (Short explanation, download button/link, 'learn' button/link) and visually attractive
Users They already have inkscape, they visit the site for a couple of reasons. -Check for/download new version (put version number on the download button/link) -Learn how to use inkscape/improve their skills through tutorials -Get help with (technical) issues with inkscape -Showcase their work -Get more resources like scripts/plugins/palettes etc. -...
- Learn how to contribute.
Apart from the fifteen activities listed under "Help Inkscape Without Coding" on our Wiki, this could also include UI/interaction design (although we might need to set this up better) and participating in the (user) mailinglist. (And then we're probably still missing things.)
Developers They already know inkscape and like to improve it. So they visit the site because: -They like to know how to get the sourcecode, compile it etc -File/solve bugs -...? (I'm no developer so help me out :)
I think you listed the most common activities (at least for me). Some things I'm missing: - Information on HOW to code for Inkscape (the developer manual and some of the information specific parts of the code and such) - Blueprints and such.
And would it make sense to have a more or less "academic" section? Inkscape is pretty heavy on technology (in terms of image processing, computational geometry, and even, occasionally, non-image related algorithms), and it could be interesting to document how we adapt technologies to Inkscape, also upfront, when you're still designing something. Normally you'd work out such ideas on paper or on your own computer, but why not put it on-line so the rest of the community can see what you're doing (/have done) and perhaps chime in.