GHOP #8: Improve initial user experience

I used 4 users (three used Drupal 6 Beta 3, but when Beta 4 came out on 6th, I decided to carry out 1 more test).

Users

Dad (47 yrs) – Web Programming Lecturer, highly experienced in various CMSs.

Mom (44 yrs) – Has no idea what a CMS is, but completes the requirement of using internet fortnightly.

Friend (19 yrs) – Has used very few CMS (his favorite is Jaws).

Friend 2 (22 yrs) – Java Programmer, has a fair idea of CMS, has used some PHP Scripts.

Installation

Problems

• The files directory had to be created on the server, and CHMODed. It can be made obvious by asking the user to create files directory and CHMOD it to 666, instead of telling them to ‘please consult the on-line handbook or INSTALL.txt.’

• Many users wonder how mysqli is different from MySQL.

• Site e-mail address description is slightly confusing

• Password Meter is scary, and demands too much. Additionally the red box and red font warning (usually used in drupal to indicate PHP errors) will surely lead many to think its compulsory to use upper & lower letters, numbers, punctuation., etc.

Ideas

• Create a files directory, and simply ask the user to CHMOD 666, its easier on the user this way. Instead of making all users (even advanced) go through INSTALL.txt, use a Quick Install Guide. (I made one, check out the quickinstall.html page [put it in drupal root, for the CSS to work])

• Label mysqli as ‘MySQL 4.1 and higher (mysqli)’ (similar for pgsqli)

• Ideal description for the site e-mail field (from a first-time-drupal-installers view):

This e-mail address is used to send automated e-mails during registration, new password requests, notifications, etc. Ideally this e-mail address should have the same domain as this website (to lessen the risk of the e-mail being classified as spam).

• Use yellow box warning, and a less scary message.

Configuration

Users are totally lost when they first see the Administration page. (A little bit more user-friendliness wont hurt)

Site Configuration

• In ‘Site Information’ how does the slogan differ from the mission (use a little bit more defined definitions).

Ideal Definitions

Slogan: Your motto, tag line, or catchphrase. Some themes display a slogan when available (usually alongside the title of the site, so keep it small).

Mission: What your Site does/its mission/or its main focus. Usually themes display this before any other content on the front page and make it eye catching.

• Under ‘Performance’ settings, the aggressive caching description is a bit complicated.

Content Management

NOTE: Too challenging for every user other than a fairly skilled CMS user. Especially the taxonomy settings are quite unfathomable by everyone except my dad (who also “partially” understood it!)

Create content

Page/Story

For content creation, under the publishing options, users need to have some small descriptions for each check box, so that its easier to understand them.

seems to be available at http://drupal.org/node/197221 earlier too!

so can this task be closed now?