This is a great discussion! Your contribution certainly helps, Neil. Randall (Randy) Arnold Quality Feedback Analyst Nokia-CMO/Dallas >-----Original Message----- >From: maemo-users-bounces at maemo.org >[mailto:maemo-users-bounces at maemo.org] On Behalf Of ext Neil MacLeod >Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 3:21 PM >To: maemo-users at maemo.org >Subject: Re: Better planet layout through Greasemonkey/Stylish > >Quim Gil wrote: > >> Usability is not tied to fixed or flexible width, you can find >> examples of good and bad practices with both modalities. >Obviously our >> current implementation has serious problems specially in areas like >> the Planet, agreed. This doesn't mean that fixed width is >necessarily >> wrong. For instance Andrew, who is suggesting an alternative layout >> for the Planet uses fixed width in his blog, like many bloggers do. >> > >OK I take your point - fixed width is not necessarily bad. But >unnecessarily narrow fixed width *is* very bad, particularly >when articles are wrapping lines at 5, 6 or 7 word intervals >when there is acres of space to the left and right. > >> >> Agreed. However, reading a planet at that width is not a great >> alternative and example of readability either. Read Planet Ubuntu at >> that width. Many Planet readers are use to that but, really, I think >> something better can be done. For some reason newspapers and >magazines >> have columns and etc (old basic usability stuff). >> > >I have been taught in the past that English is most readable >when lines are wrapped at an average of 10-13 words per line. >An average of eight words per line would still be readable, >but the current Maemo Planet design is not so readable. I >agree that a flexible width design can result in too many >words per line, but since this is somewhat under my control I >would prefer that to an artificially constrained layout where >I am constantly flicking my eyes left-right-down every >half-dozen words or so. > >> The problem is not the fixed width, which is more or less the same >> that i.e. http://www.maemopeople.org/ and the average >Wordpress blog, >> so to say. The problem is how we deal with the content area: >> hackergotchis, fonts, navigation bar and some code wrong >that creates >> unnecessary extra white space. >> > >Hopefully if you aim for a content area that wraps lines with >at least 8 words per line on average (though 10 would be >preferable) it will be substantially more readable. >maemopeople.org for instance, wraps at around 11 words per >line on average. > >> One option is to get rid of the hackergotchis, or the navigation, >> letting the content with the usual width in blogs. Hackergotchis are >> cool (when they have pictures). The navigation is not >essential. If we >> have to drop something this will be the victim. Let's see. >Oskari has >> as priority number 1 fixing the (troublesome anyway) navigation and >> the Planet layout. Give him some days. > >The navigation definately needs a rethink, both in >presentation (look) and architecture. If the vertical nav is >retained, use a smaller font however a multi-level horizontal >nav may be better as it would free up the right hand column >which is mostly wasted space unless content can be designed to >flow into the right hand column below the nav. > >hackergotchis I can't say I care for them - given a choice, drop em. > >> Web structure is not completed. > >Understood, sorry for jumping the gun :) > >> "Upfront and center" is where they are located in the frontpage. > >Perhaps it's just me, but the section of the front page that >contains the Bugzilla and Wiki links is just plain odd. It's >detached from the main navigation and seems unnecessary and >redundant. The links present in this section could/should be >in the main navigation, freeing up space in the front page and >making it easier to navigate to common pages such as >Wiki/Bugzilla from anywhere within the site. > >Dedicated links to common pages should be present in the main >navigation, and not present only in a disjointed section of >the frontpage. > >> >> We want to provide a context for those users that don't even >know that >> there is a wiki or a bugzilla. And for those that don't know what a >> wiki or a bugzilla are, but they want to read tips&tricks >and complain >> about something that doesn't work. >> >Context is good, but it's not making it obvious. Perhaps it's >because these areas of the site had dedicated sections in the >old site that they now they seem to be more peripheral. > >> This is why the wiki will be under Support and will be >focused to the >> community exchanging all the info that is not part of the official >> documentation. The wiki will be also linked from Development > >> Documentation ("If you are looking for more check...". >> >> This is also why bugzilla will have several entry points and >hopefully >> customized simple forms not to discourage anybody. Entry points >> include Development and Support, also the Roadmap to suggest >new features. >> >More entry points the better! :) > >> Funny. Let me just remind though that the development of the website >> has been done totally in the open at >> https://garage.maemo.org/projects/maemo2midgard/ . If we would have >> get all this feedback before now all we would be doing other things, >> probably. We did get feedback and lots of help (thanks!) but >for some >> reason we failed gathering all the opinions that now are raising. >> >Indeed, it is a shame as you guys have all put in a tremendous >amount of work and it's not nice for it to be picked apart >now. I'm as responsible for that as anyone here, and you have >my apologies for not commenting on this prior to launch and >realising the flaws of the current design. > >However if the majority of the ITT forum readership prefer the >current look & feel, you've done a good job! :) > > >_______________________________________________ >maemo-users mailing list >maemo-users at maemo.org >https://maemo.org/mailman/listinfo/maemo-users >
