Projects:SiteRedesign
Contents
Project Info
- Organizer: Vinh Nguyen
- Evaluator: [[]]
- Involved: AboutUsStaff
Goals of SiteRedesign
Implement a new site design over the course of the following adjustments:
- LogoDesign: create a logo representing AboutUs
- Skin/Template: changes to the "frame" around the main body content, based on logo decisions
- Usability/Navigation: "fixing" major navigation and usability issues such as
- * the front page and page layout
- * main site navigation
- * article, edit and history tabs
- * the sidebar links and tools
- Template Overhaul: adjusting templates and badges to match the new site design
- Everything Else: miscellaneous site changes, to be determined
Project Timeline
Projects:SiteRedesign/ProjectTimeline
Tasks of SiteRedesign
Add to the tasks as you see fit
Create a list of the various components of AboutUs that will need design changes
Major Site Components
- AboutUs Logo
- site navigation
- search bar
- advertising
- front page
General Pages
- Page layout
- Page navigation
- EditPage layout
- EditPage navigation
- Portlets
- useful links
- toolbox
- registrar info
- Page titles
User Pages
- Badges
- Templates
- images
WebSite Pages
- thumbnail
- map
- section headers
- discussion areas
Discussion on SiteRedesign
LogoDesign
- For more details visit the LogoDesign page
Skin/Template
- Navigation Idea: reduce the navigational elements for anonymous users
- By reducing navigational elements and other "tools" we can simplify the pages for first-time visitors
- Registered users will have the option, in their preferences, to view all the tools
- The reduced set of tools will still allow for editing, viewing histories, main site navigation, and preferences (or account settings)
- it is possible to allow a customizable "My Toolbox" for each user by letting them add or remove links, but is this useful?
Template Overhaul
Per a quick discussion with Jason & Scott, the idea of loading "per-page" CSS might be a great idea
- How to attempt this:
- Create a namespace: CSS:yourstylename
- Load style sheets via a Template:template tag: Template:yourstylename (leave decision to dev)
- Template:CSS would be loaded after the set main CSS
- Positive attributes of this would be:
- The possibility of building a library of shared styles that users can tap into.
- Alongside the few "standard" styles--as well as pre-defined styles for templates, etc.--users can add their own style sheets for their pages.
- This could also help push the use of Templates
- Negative attributes of this could be:
- The possibility of users to "override" system and standard styles per page.
- though this wouldn't break the site, it could lead to some bad usage. perhaps a filter that doesn't allow certain classes or selectors to be called would prevent this.
- The possibility of users to "override" system and standard styles per page.
Thoughts on Templates
- Templates can be come very useful if there are certain conventions involved in:
- naming and defining parameters
- naming templates
- naming HTML selectors
- The goal is to see Templates used and shared across numerous pages by:
- offering more parameters for style
- clearly indicating (on template page) the main informational parameters vs. the style parameters
- using conventional names across templates
Everything Else
