[libreoffice-design] Re: Download Page Improvements

Le 2011-10-03 09:03, Christoph Noack a écrit :
> Hi Marc,
>
> cool to hear you ... I hope everything is fine(er) now!

Thanks. I should know by December if I need to go back in again. Slow to 
cure and I am constantly told to be patient.

> Am Sonntag, den 02.10.2011, 22:11 -0400 schrieb Marc Paré:
> > Le 2011-09-29 17:04, Christoph Noack a écrit :
> > > Hi Marc, all!
> > >
> > > Am Donnerstag, den 29.09.2011, 12:42 -0400 schrieb Marc Paré:
> > > > Le 2011-09-28 21:55, Ivan M. a écrit :
> > > [...]
> > > > > WHAT: Improve the Download Page on our website
> > > > > WHERE: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/
> > > > > WHY: It's not very usable for less experienced users, and it could
> > > > > look a lot better too
> > > > > HOW: Decide on a new design and implement it in HTML/CSS/JS
> > > > > WHO: Anyone interested, and myself
> > > > > WHEN: As soon as possible...
>
> [...]
>
> > > All thoughts - requirements, texts, website structure - are here:
> > > http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Whiteboards/Download_Page
>
> [...]
>
> > Nice! I like the design. IMO, the less verbose the better for our new
> > users. Users are interested in downloading, installing and using right
> > away. But there are still some issues.
>
> Let's see :-)
>
> > One of the recurring questions from users is that of Java ("Do we need
> > to download/install Java?"). For a new user to LibreOffice, this would
> > not be evident from your mockup and he/she would just assume that
> > everything needed would come included in the one download.
>
> Do they need Java to run LibreOffice? As far as I remember Java is still
> optional (decreased dependency) and rather a question for people
> migrating from OpenOffice.org. So, it is something for "Installing
> Instructions" - the placeholder is already there.

I guess the true test would be to put the page into use and see if we 
still get questions about Java. I believe we get questions mostly from 
Windows users. Not sure about Mac's but Linux normally does not have a 
problem with this as most distro's will already have Java installed on 
the systems.

> > I also like the fact that there is a short descriptive section on the FR
> > download site ("Quels fichiers télécharger" [Which Files to Download?])
> > where it displays the needed files for all three supported OS's. This
> > again, for a new user would not be evident on the mockup.
>
> Since cleanliness of the page was important for me, I checked with
> Christian whether the files for download could be made dependent on the
> operating system (like today). So instead offering the user everything
> he could download (for system he never heard of *g*), we offer him the
> pre-selection for his OS - which should be sufficient for 99.5% of all
> use case. If the user needs to download other versions, then:
>        * he can change the "Computer system" setting
>        * he can check out "All Downloads"
>
> For example, the Linux Download page mentions all three downloads - for
> Windows you only have the Help Pack that could be added optionall.
> http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/cgi_img_auth.php/8/80/2011-07-01_DownloadPage_Features_Linux_Expanded.png

Sounds good. I guess if all of the necessary files are listed for the 
platforms, then it does serve this purpose well.

> > I would also suggest a "Corporate Use" link on the right hand side as we
> > are also getting more questions about which version is for corporate
> > use. This link could also help streamline help for corporate use --
> > maybe send them off to a FAQ targeted for corporate use? Alternatively,
> > we could have a "Corporate use version" on the second tier menu with a
> > version specifically targeted to corporate use with accompanying links
> > to help files such as "large scale installation" and "professional
> > services" offerings etc.
>
> Well, this has been discussed in-depth some time ago ... according to
> our release schedule, there are only two versions "the more stable", and
> the "the newer features" version. The latter refers several times to
> "cooperations and large-scale deployments". The only thing missing is
> the FAQ (or similar info) - can be linked from e.g. "Release Notes and
> Known Issues" or "Installing Instructions". Then, we keep the download
> page quite clean. Well, if company admins use our download page at
> all :-)

Even if we did not have an ultra-hardened version, we should make it 
easier for corporations to find information for large scale 
installations a little more easy. Maybe this would mean providing a tab 
or link on one of the download sub-menus to take them to a FAQ-type page.

I was just wondering, you say "Well, if company admins use our download 
page at all." Where else would they get the necessary files?

> However, if we offer a special "ultra-hardened" version, its simple to
> add that (at the beginning, I've started with this idea). Traveling back
> in time...
> http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/index.php?title=Design/Whiteboards/Download_Page&oldid=26394#Versions_Descriptions
>
> > I think if these issues were dealt with on the download page mockup, it
> > would make for a great page.
>
> I don't know whether my answers have been sufficient ... I think it
> still fits. And even if its not perfect, each small step towards a
> better download experience is a great step :-)
>
> Cheers,
> Christoph

Yes, it all sounds good. Thanks for all that info.

Marc


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