Re: [libreoffice-design] The interim website

Hi Nik,

what a pleasure to see you (again) :-) Especially bringing some nice
mockups and ideas with you ...

Since you've added another topic at the end, I'd really like to address
this, too.

Am Donnerstag, den 23.12.2010, 02:43 +1100 schrieb Nik:
> Hi Bernhard, Christoph, all,
>
> I know this isn't something on our current to-do list or a priority, but 
> I've been watching the talk about the soon-to-be-launched Lib/O site;
> http://test.libreoffice.org/

What is the right answer at the moment, I don't know ... so I'd better
describe the current status and letting you decide.

If one looked more closely at the mails, you might have noticed that
David mentioned a private conversation. I used this talk to ask where to
put comments and suggestions, since I felt a bit lost - although I
stepped in rather late (which is true for all recent topics,
unfortunately).

To me, speaking as an UX guy, there are some major usability flaws on
the new website (mainly navigation, individual site structure, and text
formatting/semantics). Since the text heavily uses text, I fear that it
misses attractiveness or sometimes even helpfulness for all the people
we want to address. This just being a summary - I've put up a more
detailed list within my mail to David. 

Some of the issues had been covered by my first attempt for the site
menu concept - you might have noticed my proposal for the site [1].

This kicked of a discussion whether the site suites the needs of the
users, when to put it online, and when to integrate feedback.

Personally, I think that we need to improve some parts of the site
before it gets online. David instead, proposes to go live as soon as
possible and to integrate improvements later on. Although I don't agree
with David, he is right when it comes to "realizing" the
improvements ... if there is nobody who jumps in, then any further
suggestion doesn't make sense.

Okay, I hope this clarifies the current status a bit ...

[1]
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bbnG0Hny0SpccJIZsGp72A?feat=directlink

> I know this is a work-in-progress and I see the hard work that was put 
> into its realisation. So I don't mean to undermine any efforts so far.
> But if the site is going to be live, I'd like to help address the 
> overall appearance so it doesn't look so "raw". I've uploaded a couple 
> of quick mock-ups here;
> http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/User:Nik#Interim_Website_Design_proposals

Cool!

> They show a potential arrangement for the Homepage and an example of a 
> two-tiered navigation.
> (Past usability concerns about this type of horizontal menu bar can be 
> addressed using some intelligent JavaScript).
> If I've jumped the gun, or contributed unnecessarily on a topic that has 
> already been finalised, my apologies and no harm done.
> I just want to help ensure Lib/O puts its best foot forward.

Concerning the last statement - just great :-) I think there is
currently no harm, looking at the feedback on this list. David invested
quite some hard work to put together the content, now we miss a bit
different structure and some helpful graphics for guiding the users.

Personally, I think we will need e.g. a basic structure for recently
added features, the different modules (e.g. Writer, ...), a clean
support site, ... but - to be honest - I don't know how to address this
at the moment. Basically, I both lack the time and the skills to do
something like that - but if there would be a small team for that, I'm
happy to join (provide my UX point-of-view, adding mockups and ideas,
evaluating content).

Time is running for the LibO 3.3 release, and the basic problems (like
the navigation issues) should be resolved until then. Does this sound
like a cry for help? :-)

> On a less helpful note, I wrote this Email (below) some time ago in 
> response to the icons. For some reason it wasn't received by the list.
> I've included it below because I still feel that the concern I raised 
> should be aired while discussion on the branding is still relevant.
> I hope you find time to read it even though it is somewhat long, but 
> I'll understand if you don't get a chance (it *IS* Christmas after all).

Strange, I didn't even get a moderation mail ... so I'm glad that you
sent it again. Let's see ...

> Happy Holidays everyone!
> -Nik
>
> PS. I know this is probably more relevant to the Website list but I 
> didn't want to cross-post and I thought it warranted discussion on the 
> Design list first.
> In case I've made a mistake.

Undecided ;-)


> UNRECEIVED EMAIL;----------------------------------------
>
> Hi Bernhard, Christoph, all,
>
> Christoph Noack wrote:
>  > Okay, but - at the moment - you might be more interested in the page
>  > I've already mentioned:
>  > http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/User:ChristophNoack/Initial_MIME_Icons
>
> Can a be a real wet sock and just bring up a concern quickly before 
> everything is set in concrete regarding the file icons?
> I noticed that the icons carry on from the current logo design. While 
> the logo design concept of the dog-eared document is iconic and 
> intuitive, I think the implementation of the logo needs some work before 
> it looks like a professional brand. But that may just be my opinion.

If there is anything that might be implemented for the icons - go ahead
to mention improvements. For the logo itself, I think we are set (given
the time for the LibO release), but this isn't that much problematic,
since it is "just" initial branding (although my hope is, indeed, that
it doesn't look that bad).

> What is more relevant right now is the derived styling of the mime-type 
> icons and the "reflective surface" in particular.
> I'll be bold and get straight to the point: I think there is no need for 
> those icons to be reflective or "shiny".

Mmh, now I am a bit lost - where did you see the shiny icons? Or maybe
our interpretation differs, could you provide some clue, please?

Personally, I'm happy with something that looks neutral and somehow
timeless. Because, even if we use shiny trendy graphics, we won't
fulfill this promise with our current product - it still looks like
productivity software :-)

Thus, concerning the initial design, I've summed up the basic visual
language on the branding page - already a bit old, uncompleted, but most
important - there is something we might refer to ...

        Visual Design (temporary description):
              * Clean: The visual design is straight and clean. Reduced
                geometric elements are combined to visualize the
                intended message.
              * Balanced: The visual design avoids any extremes. For
                example, neither extreme coloring nor intensive surface
                shining effects are used.
              * Friendly: The visual design creates a smooth and joyful
                environment. For example, rounded corners and the fresh
                color palette are used.

Is this what you have in mind? Is there anything missing / wrong / ...
basically, I tried to base all the current branding work on these few
lines.

> The Document Foundation (TDF) and LibreOffice have a real opportunity to 
> build a very strong brand from scratch. One that isn't driven by 
> Internet-popularised trends like Web2.0 reflections. That's an 
> opportunity to carve a distinct identity free from design fads and 
> trends. The "reflection" will lose favour in time and stop being "new" 
> soon. TDF should create a look that is unique and specific to it's 
> character and purpose.

+1

[... nice thoughts and explanations of how TDF relates to its visual
identity ...]

Okay, I felt free to skip the remaining items, because I hope that the
comments above already resolve some of the questions. And it seems
better (to me), to fully understand you introduction before getting into
too much detail on my side :-)

Nikash, thank you so much for your ideas and thoughts ... it just feels
good :-)

Cheers,
Christoph

[1]
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bbnG0Hny0SpccJIZsGp72A?feat=directlink


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