[ZDP] DISCUSS: Zope Front Door mockup

[Paul Everitt]

Rik Hoekstra wrote:
> Amos wrote:
> > There's been a fair amount of discussion on the Zope lists about redoing
> > the opening pages on Zope.org to better communicate what Zope is and
> > what it can do for you. It's clear that many people have had difficulty
> > feeling like they knew what Zope was and of what value it might be to
> > them.
> >
> > We'd like to learn from you about how to do a better job communicating
> > about Zope.

First I'd like to add a bit to Amos' post.

We have worked *really* hard in the last month since the "Front Door"
thread came up at "What is Zope?"  Amos, Chris McDonough, and I have had
some fairly tortured conversations in trying to pick the right approach
to presenting the information.

Note that the mockup is informational-only.  We are open to web design
contributions.  I put out a call before and only one person responded,
though all I got were screenshots and not HTML.

> > I've prepared a mockup of a new Zope.org front door based on feedback
> > from the lists.
> >
>   http://www.zope.org/Members/Amos/FrontDoor/
> 
> > This mockup includes a number of new pages including a Zope tour and a
> > new summary of the Zope architecture based on Evan Simpson's post. I'm
> > eager to get this up on Zope.org, but first I want to make sure that
> > we're on the right track.
> 
> >  * Does the new front door explain what Zope is better?
> 
> I think the intention is good, but still too verbose. (I wrote when I
> started this message, but eventually found myself producing something very
> different - sorry Amos, I never meant to tear your page apart, but couldn't
> help it ;-))

This is a good start, thanks!  Really, acknowledging that our structure
is OK but the details need work is still progress.

A little context for those walking in late.  The goal of the Front Door
project is to re-orient the Zope.org home page.  Instead of being
convenient to current Zope users (like the current page), we'll focus on
people "walking by".  We want to quickly answer the questions: "What is
Zope?", "Why should I care?", and "Where do I start?"

To stay "on message", the home page should be very terse, but link to
very useful pages that organize the most important site content.  Thus
newcomers are one click away from the list of links that will answer
most questions.

> About the homepage:
> I like the division in paragraphs.
> I like the links under each paragraph.

I think that the first block is oriented towards answer "What is
Zope?".  The second is oriented towards "Where do I start?"

I think all three (and perhaps the site as a whole) should use a
consistent, simple idiom of "More..." as a hyperlink to get the "big
page" version of that block.

> But: use consistent terminology (zope add-ons vs Products).

Correct.  Also, I think it's redundant to put Zope in front of "Zope
Documentation" and "Download Free Zope Add-ons".  The links in that
block should be "Download", "Documentation", "Products", and "More...".

> I believe the side boxes are way too busy for a homepage (they distract the
> attention from the main message)
> 
> Ban your credentials (all the pictures with Zope, redhat etc) to the very
> bottom of the page. The main message of the page is in plain text, which in
> IMHO is a Good Thing (TM), but the pictures distract the attention from
> them.

I agree that we need to remove a LOT of the overload.  Perhaps move the
branding to the "big page" version of the About Zope.org block.  Perhaps
Exits should be moved into the "big page" version of the "Where do I
start?" block.

> I think the 'Zope feature' has little to add to the homepage and it tries to
> bring across too much in too short a time - though it's there on many
> corporate sites. Consider making this a list of one line quotes from the
> testimonials (or make some up yourself... - or is that immoral)

We have a lot of good testimonials and quotes.  I think the Zope Feature
should remain, but should be a very terse version with "More..." going
to the full version.

[snip]

> **Zope - Community**
> 
> One of the main features of Zope is it's active community.
> It has it's home on Zope.org. Zope.org provides information about Zope and
> resources for the community.

You're right, we don't push the community enough on the front door.  The
community has become one of the big, big attractions for going with
Zope.

--Paul