[Zope3-dev] DISCUSS: Consolidation of Zope 3 UI wiki pages

[kit blake]

Hi everybody,
After reading the UI pages that Paul listed, I'd like to propose an
audience breakdown, which has the advantage that the naming is simple
and easy to remember. This take was actually developed for Silva, but it
applies equally well to Zope3.

To define the audiences, we used a device taken from use cases, from
this book: "Writing Effective Use Cases", by Alistair Cockburn (ISBN
0-201-70225-8). Cockburn suggests the use of icons, and in our
experience the icons aren't very useful, but their names are. 

Icon               Level               Audience
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clouds             High summary        upper management
Kites              Summary             managers 
Waves (sea level)  User goal           designer/programmer
Fish               System (app)        developer (also SysAdmin)
Clams              Components          zen master

We often talk about the 'cloud level' or the 'sea bed'. (To be rigorous,
we're twisting it a little by considering components to be software
architecture.)

Please note that I'm not arguing against the more fine grained audience
breakdown in:
http://dev.zope.org/Wikis/DevSite/Projects/ComponentArchitecture/ZopeTop
However I question the exclusion of ComponentDeveloper and SiteDesigner
from the target audience. For instance, designers who live in WYSIWYG
need Zope3 interface facilities that help launch their favorite tool.
ComponentDevelopers need text mode and command line navigation.

Currently Zope2 is most successful on the underwater level. It's for
developers. But that is also its shortcoming. "Steep learning curve"
prevents designers and junior programmers from diving deeper. And bottom
dwellers get lightheaded if they have to use a browser based interface.

One goal of the UI should be to expand to other audiences. Otherwise
we're in danger of "designing for the converted". This means making
Zope3 more accessible. What 'accessible' means depends on the audience. 

Cloud      The UI should be very attractive and look like
           professional software (this is pure image).
Kite       Acquire above and add user friendliness combined with 
           valuable and visible built-in functionality (fulfill
           policy needs).
Sea level  Ease of use (hands on), guided learning, help/support, 
           linked documentation, customization, and interoperation
           with existing tools.
Fish       Acquire sea level and add advanced (sexy) conceptual
           approach, supple navigation, clear distinctions
           between activities, include below.
Clam       80 character access, smart symbolic linking/structure

The Zope3 UI discussions could follow this same format. The cloud and
kite level need to 'sell' Zope3 based on semi-tangible attributes. Sea
level needs to coax designer/programmers to dive a little deeper. And
all the water craatures need protocol based paths into the environment.

---------------------------------
Zope3 for the Board of Directors
Zope3 for Managers
Zope3 for Designers & Programmers
Zope3 for Developers
Zope3 for Zen Masters
---------------------------------


> 3) Choose a name for the UI effort:
>    c. Other.

Zope Environment.  To my ears, ZopeTop refers to desktop, which sounds
old and flat. An environment is a (variable) spatial concept.

>From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
  Environment \En*vi"ron*ment\, n. [Cf. F. environnement.]
     2. That which environs or surrounds; surrounding conditions,
        influences, or forces, by which living forms are
        influenced and modified in their growth and development.
>From WordNet (r) 1.7 [wn]:
  environment
       n 1: the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed
            for the comfortable environment of his livingroom"
       2: the area in which something exists or lives: "the
          country--the flat agricultural surround" [syn:
          {environs}, {surroundings}, {surround}]


> 4) We then need to digest the contents of the Joachim's page,
> the ZopeTop page, and the CMSUI page into a consolidated page.

Hope I didn't just muddy the waters,
kit


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Infrae . . . kit blake . . . infrae.com . t +31 10 243 7051
Hoevestraat 10 . 3033 GC Rotterdam . NL . f +31 10 243 7052