maemo.org - Talk - maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

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maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Development (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=13)

- - maemo.org mock-up design/ideas (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=23691)

timsamoff

2008-10-08 17:33

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fms (Post 231667)

<snip> Anyway, I do not see how this page is useful for a regular maemo.org visitor. I also do not see myself using it on the tablet.

fms, it'd be great if you could join the maemo-community mailing list and post your comments there. More people are participating in this discussion there -- and have been for a while -- which is how these designs are being created.

As for your comments on the "pretty" aspects of the design(s), well... That's your opinion. As a Web 2.0 designer by trade, these are just how we do it these days. (Have a look here.) Most (if not all) of these sites work great on my tablet.

Thanks,
Tim

Benson

2008-10-08 18:17

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fms (Post 231667)

Same thing: avoid the long column + short column layout. It wastes space. Instead, break your page into 2-3 equal-sized columns and make them resize fluidly. Also, I would avoid shadows, fancy corners, and other similar stuff: a lot of people are likely to load this page on their tablets connected via GPRS, EDGE, or 3G. A lot of them pay per-MB rates. The above visual elements are pretty useless and just add to the traffic.

Now, as far as content is concerned: I see that you have following content at the page:
1. Two featured applications ("pearls")
2. Menu of important links
3. About Maemo blurb
4. Announcements at the bottom
5. Bad photo of some guy with a number
6. Some inline ads

Of these 6, only #2 and #4 are of any use to a regular maemo.org visitor. The rest is as good as decorations. Furthermore, #4 is at the very bottom and #2 links are named in such a way that only a geek will understand what they mean (Bugzilla, Wiki, Garage).

Oh, come on. You know lots of non-geeks know what "wiki" means. That must be an offsite link.

(But really, what else are you going to call a wiki? I can see how you could call other things by descriptions (bug reporting and tracking system) rather than names, but there's no reasonable sentence that will prove any more enlightening than the term wiki. If they don't know, they still won't know after one sentence.)

fms	2008-10-08 18:17

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by timsamoff (Post 231727)

I have spent time coming up with one of the two original layout proposals (the other one has been made by Bundyo) and also participated in the IRC meeting on the same topic. Everything I had to say was said there and implemented in my layout proposal. You can refer to IRC meeting logs if you are interested (mgedmin must have them on his site).

Quote:

As for your comments on the "pretty" aspects of the design(s), well... That's your opinion. As a Web 2.0 designer by trade, these are just how we do it these days.

That is not how Google (aka "The Web 2.0 pioneer") does it though. Google does it very sensibly, especially for the mobile versions of their sites. I do not see why you should supersede common sense with the "just how we do it" mantra.

GeneralAntilles

2008-10-08 18:26

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fms (Post 231757)

You can refer to IRC meeting logs if you are interested (mgedmin must have them on his site).

http://maemo.org/maemo-meeting

mgedmin doesn't log #maemo-meeting, actually.

fms	2008-10-08 18:34

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benson (Post 231756)

Oh, come on. You know lots of non-geeks know what "wiki" means.

True. It is also true that a lot of non-geeks do not know what it means.

Quote:

(But really, what else are you going to call a wiki?

Documentation. Manual. Handbook. Help Guide. I think a few more have been suggested during the IRC meeting.

Benson

2008-10-08 18:49

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fms (Post 231766)

True. It is also true that a lot of non-geeks do not know what it means.

True. And equivalent; I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek there, but knowing wrongly is the worst kind of not knowing.

Quote:

Documentation. Manual. Handbook. Help Guide. I think a few more have been suggested during the IRC meeting.

None of which accurately describe it, though. (Documentation comes closest, IMHO.)

While wiki is an incomplete description, it's certainly at least as accurate as any of those, and to anyone familiar with open-source projects and how they run, it will carry additional, largely correct, implications about the content.

I'm more or less with you on the lean design issues, but I don't see much gain to relabeling any of those, and particularly wiki seems to be a loss by renaming. Maybe I just hate users. ;)

fms	2008-10-08 19:12

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benson (Post 231772)

None of which accurately describe it, though. (Documentation comes closest, IMHO.)

Actually, I am also in favor of naming it Documentation.

Quote:

While wiki is an incomplete description, it's certainly at least as accurate as any of those, and to anyone familiar with open-source projects and how they run, it will carry additional, largely correct, implications about the content.

Wiki is really an engine, not a content description. So, calling it "wiki" requires the user to have some inner knowledge (see your comment above). A newbie user coming to get help will not recognize that he has to click on "Wiki" to get to documentation.

Quote:

I don't see much gain to relabeling any of those, and particularly wiki seems to be a loss by renaming. Maybe I just hate users. ;)

You are not alone there: a few other people spoke against renaming "Wiki" link during the IRC meeting. I know it may sound almost like blasphemy to some seriously open-sourced guys, but you also have to think of "I installed latest SSU and my <application> no longer works" kind of users who come in search of help.

Bundyo

2008-10-08 19:17

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

At the summit there was talk that Nokia wants to go more mass market with their next device. Wikis are not so common there from what I've seen... ;)

timsamoff

2008-10-08 19:56

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

If you join the -community discussion, you will see that we are in the process of deciding on link names, etc. These proposals don't necessarily contain final verbiage, etc. In fact, if you check out my latest variation (just a variation):

http://samoff.maemobox.org/maemo_red...idea_0008c.png

...you will see that much of the verbiage has already changed.

Right now, we're not so interested in semantics, but rather the method of presenting the information in a clean, beautiful, and organized manner.

I value all of these comments, though (as I'm sure the others involved in the mailing list discussion would). Please keep them coming -- especially on the mailing list. ;)

Tim

timsamoff

2008-10-09 04:15

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

A little more tweaking on the latest:

http://samoff.maemobox.org/maemo_red...idea_0008d.png

-T.

GeneralAntilles

2008-10-09 04:58

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bundyo (Post 231784)

At the summit there was talk that Nokia wants to go more mass market with their next device. Wikis are not so common there from what I've seen... ;)

How do you figure? Wikipedia is only one of the biggest things on the internet, and everybody uses it.

Anyway, this discussion had its conclusion, I've decided I don't care.

timsamoff

2008-10-09 13:51

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Here's some more variation:

http://samoff.maemobox.org/maemo_red...idea_0008e.png

...with a supplimental example:

http://samoff.maemobox.org/maemo_red...0008e-supp.png

-T.

P.S. I agree that "wiki" is a universal term at this point -- even the baby boomers here at my 100-year old company know what one is (even if they don't really know how to use one).

sjgadsby

2008-10-09 14:07

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Tim,

The Thanks! I've been giving you for your work on a new design for maemo.org doesn't begin to convey how much I appreciate the amount of time and effort you've invested in the project. Thank you. You have my vote for receiving a free Maemo 5 device for this, but seeing as I don't actually have such a vote, well, I've made a small contribution toward the same via your website.

timsamoff

2008-10-13 21:22

Re: maemo.org mock-up design/ideas

Hey,

Here's another one:

http://samoff.maemobox.org/maemo_red..._idea_0009.png

-T.

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