[IAEP] Feedback re static frontend site
Christian I apologize I've been compiling this feedback this week perhaps I should have sent sooner In general I like it. Although I have never liked the black background (on the existing wiki and now on the homepage) which I found lugubrious, I was pleasantly surprised to step into the light behind it. I like the explanations, and the right-margin sidebars. I like that (apparently) it will print out very, very easily (never underestimate the importance of that function...). Dongyun Lee's illustrations are fabulous. I do feel however that the Activities need to be very prominently displayed and talked about - they are the heart of the Sugar experience and, in my view, the reason learners/parents/teachers would consider trying Sugar. Perhaps even a separate menu section. Under the Parents section, they are merely referred to as the usual collection, which clashes with the presentation of Sugar as specially made for kids. Wouldn't it be better to say e.g.: The heart of Sugar is its Activities (capitalized), then develop the collaboration advantage, mention View Source which satisifies children's curiosity, etc. Then: In addition, more traditional Activities such as a web browser, an ebook reader, ... On the Activities page, I would stress the richness of the Activities, e.g. add a leader Sugar Activities are fun, friendly, thought-provoking, and collaborative - kids can't get enough of them! (P.S. I was a little confused that the links leave the site to a page they can only return from with the back button - perhaps links outside the site could load in a single separate window, so people don't get lost?) Also: every parent and teacher knows that if kids enjoy the material, it's far easier for them to learn. So we need to communicate on that first page that kids love using Sugar because it's fun. A photo would be ideal, but even some quotable quotes could do it e.g.: I like the games and making music with TamTam, I can chat with my friends, I like to draw with it, I never lose my work because the computer remembers it. Other comments: * Can we grow the logo x2 or x3? * I found the floating menu disconcerting at first, since it hides text - I thought it was a bug. It took me a while to figure out it is a live menu. Could its function as a menu be indicated? Perhaps the categories could be arranged in a bar at the top of each screen - visitors will thus quickly gain an overview of the sections. * May we add Press after Contributors? Which is where the contact info will go ;-) but which could link to the Marketing Team page for now. * Can we get screenshots on the Features page, like the Parents page? Show tell better than just tell ;-) * As the site is very textual, is there a search function? * There is a bug with the floating menu, if I click on Teachers, then rollover the menu, then click Back on the browser, the hompage appears with the menu opened but nothing selected. (Firefox v3.0.5 on OSX v10.4) * instead of no files, folders, or applications, which I would understand means there is nothing at all (!), may I suggest Activities, not applications. Kids won't care if there are no files or folders, but parents and teachers (who have to worry about data) will. The no files concept should be linked to automatic backup... a magic reassuring phrase could be automatic backup of Activity work, no worrying about files folders. * instead of slashes, could we consider the s favicons? Keeping the sugarlabs logo branding active even when the logo is out of sight as we scroll down the page * Although there is a license footer, there should first be a copyright notice, e.g. Copyright (c) 2009 Sugar Labs. Reminder, CC licenses are based on copyright law and it's best-practice to assert that right. * Under features, I'd be tempted to add a downside section; e.g. Is Sugar right for my child's classroom? which could be an opportunity to knock down arguments that it's not Windows, it's too different, etc. * This has been under discussion I've been meditating on it, but there really should be a very short slogan under the logo which should sum up Sugar Labs. Which could be changed later... but anything decent will be better than nothing I feel. I'm afraid I don't like the learning engine for every child... sounds technical, like they have to spend too much time learning how to use it. Keeping in mind our desire for teacher buy-in, how about School software for children or Learning software for children ? * The download link... to the directories... will appear to be a site error to a nontechnical user. May I suggest http://sugarlabs.org/go/Supported_systems instead, until we can provide 1-click installers? * In the floating menu I think homepage or even table of contents would be better than index... an index is traditionally at the end of a book ;-) * Activities page: instead of alpha sort, I would mix them up and start with the Journal ..more to come thanks Sean Marketing
Re: [IAEP] Feedback re static frontend site
Sean, thanks so much. Let me digest this and get back to you soon. Christian On 2/27/09 1:16 PM, Sean DALY sdaly...@gmail.com wrote: Christian I apologize I've been compiling this feedback this week perhaps I should have sent sooner In general I like it. Although I have never liked the black background (on the existing wiki and now on the homepage) which I found lugubrious, I was pleasantly surprised to step into the light behind it. I like the explanations, and the right-margin sidebars. I like that (apparently) it will print out very, very easily (never underestimate the importance of that function...). Dongyun Lee's illustrations are fabulous. I do feel however that the Activities need to be very prominently displayed and talked about - they are the heart of the Sugar experience and, in my view, the reason learners/parents/teachers would consider trying Sugar. Perhaps even a separate menu section. Under the Parents section, they are merely referred to as the usual collection, which clashes with the presentation of Sugar as specially made for kids. Wouldn't it be better to say e.g.: The heart of Sugar is its Activities (capitalized), then develop the collaboration advantage, mention View Source which satisifies children's curiosity, etc. Then: In addition, more traditional Activities such as a web browser, an ebook reader, ... On the Activities page, I would stress the richness of the Activities, e.g. add a leader Sugar Activities are fun, friendly, thought-provoking, and collaborative - kids can't get enough of them! (P.S. I was a little confused that the links leave the site to a page they can only return from with the back button - perhaps links outside the site could load in a single separate window, so people don't get lost?) Also: every parent and teacher knows that if kids enjoy the material, it's far easier for them to learn. So we need to communicate on that first page that kids love using Sugar because it's fun. A photo would be ideal, but even some quotable quotes could do it e.g.: I like the games and making music with TamTam, I can chat with my friends, I like to draw with it, I never lose my work because the computer remembers it. Other comments: * Can we grow the logo x2 or x3? * I found the floating menu disconcerting at first, since it hides text - I thought it was a bug. It took me a while to figure out it is a live menu. Could its function as a menu be indicated? Perhaps the categories could be arranged in a bar at the top of each screen - visitors will thus quickly gain an overview of the sections. * May we add Press after Contributors? Which is where the contact info will go ;-) but which could link to the Marketing Team page for now. * Can we get screenshots on the Features page, like the Parents page? Show tell better than just tell ;-) * As the site is very textual, is there a search function? * There is a bug with the floating menu, if I click on Teachers, then rollover the menu, then click Back on the browser, the hompage appears with the menu opened but nothing selected. (Firefox v3.0.5 on OSX v10.4) * instead of no files, folders, or applications, which I would understand means there is nothing at all (!), may I suggest Activities, not applications. Kids won't care if there are no files or folders, but parents and teachers (who have to worry about data) will. The no files concept should be linked to automatic backup... a magic reassuring phrase could be automatic backup of Activity work, no worrying about files folders. * instead of slashes, could we consider the s favicons? Keeping the sugarlabs logo branding active even when the logo is out of sight as we scroll down the page * Although there is a license footer, there should first be a copyright notice, e.g. Copyright (c) 2009 Sugar Labs. Reminder, CC licenses are based on copyright law and it's best-practice to assert that right. * Under features, I'd be tempted to add a downside section; e.g. Is Sugar right for my child's classroom? which could be an opportunity to knock down arguments that it's not Windows, it's too different, etc. * This has been under discussion I've been meditating on it, but there really should be a very short slogan under the logo which should sum up Sugar Labs. Which could be changed later... but anything decent will be better than nothing I feel. I'm afraid I don't like the learning engine for every child... sounds technical, like they have to spend too much time learning how to use it. Keeping in mind our desire for teacher buy-in, how about School software for children or Learning software for children ? * The download link... to the directories... will appear to be a site error to a nontechnical user. May I suggest http://sugarlabs.org/go/Supported_systems instead, until we can provide 1-click installers? * In the floating menu I think homepage
