[Bf-docboard] Suggestions to improve wiki useability

Jared Reisweber jaredr122 at gmail.com
Sat Jan 12 18:51:48 CET 2013 

Here are my suggestions for improved formatting:


   - Literals: UI items should be *bold, *or  *bold+italic*). Bold stands
   out better than *italic *alone
   - Links: brighter blue to help them stand out
   - Indent text/headings under ==heading 2== to better separate sections.
   - Increase size of ==heading 2== to make it more separate from
   ===heading 3===
   - Add a bar/background color to headings ?

Recommendations for consistent formatting:

   - One =heading 1= per page, as recommended in the Mediawiki documentation
   - Describe UI items/options with a clear separation between the word and
   the description
      - Term on its own line, and the decsriptions on next line, indented
      - *Not bulleted*. Visually interferes with the word itself, and is
      consistent with most of the manual and other manuals
      - Bullets are only for examples/lists of things
   - Numbered lists for explanation of steps
   - Omit unnecessary sub-headings, like ==Description==. (It should be
   assumed that what is written is a description).


I did a quick mock up a page style idea. SImple, but I think effective.
Open to feedback:
http://www.artofjared.com/content/wikiFormatting.html

To answer your question Cal, I felt that it was maybe too simplified. I
think removing unnecessary sub-headings is good, but not all of them, Also,
I think UI items should remain formatted. I have mixed feelings about
boxes/RefBoxes. They are ugly, but do serve an important function. Maybe
they could be reworked into something better looking, but not removed. I
agree that simplification is good, but we shouldn't over simplify.

On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 4:20 PM, Fade <fade_docboard_blender at ymail.com>wrote:

>  Hi Docboard,
>
> Apologies for the delay. I've been out of state on holidays for the last
> few days and have only just checked my mail.
>
> Cal: I'm going to be working on the Sketching/Drawing page for the next
> few hours so what I'll do is merge your work and mine into what I've done
> so far at the below link. I'll let you know when I'm done and then we can
> see if anything else needs to be added and we can add in Jim's comments
> from your work.
>
>
> http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Fade/Doc:2.6/Manual/3D_interaction/Sketching/Drawing
>
> Apologies too as I forgot to put a note on the Drawing page that I was
> going to propose merging the Sketching/Drawing pages together (I have done
> the page to reflect this).
>
> I'm happy to help with a formatting/layout review. To kick it off, once
> I've finished the Sketching/Drawing page today, I'll duplicate it a few
> times and use it as a test for some layout/formatting tests as there's
> enough elements in there to have a bit of a play with. I'll post back in a
> day or so with the links and some thoughts.
>
> Regards
> Fade
>
>
> On 11/01/13 12:05, Cal McGaugh wrote:
>
>  Hi Keston,
>
>   As I began to look closely at the current pages that Jim assigned me to
> edit (Sketching) ,  I realized why I hadn't been using the
>  wiki more in the past.....I find the current formatting very distracting,
> and difficult to extract & understand
>  the relevant info of the page.
>
>  So I took the liberty to remove most of the template code to see how it
> would look.
>  e.g. "Description",  "Options", "Usage" etc,  the in-line button images,
> numbering each heading (1.2.1.2 etc),
>  and the large darker boxes (at least in the Naiad skin version).
>
>  They are un-necessary, and in fact, counter-productive to useability,
> imho.
>
>  I showed this to Jim Tucker and he seemed to think it was an
> improvement.
>
>  Here is the current version of this page using templates
>
> http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual/3D_interaction/Sketching/Drawing
>
>  And this is the one that I edited by removing most of the templates.
>  http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Megacal
>
>  I kept the relevant headings with their font size & bolding, also
> bulleted points. The rest was redundant and distracting......at least for
> me, and
>  I think for many others as well.
>
>  Not only would it make the pages easier to use, it makes it easier to
> create & edit if we aren't constrained to use
>  the templates. This does not mean that pages would become
> inconsistant.....the style should always be consistant.
>
>  "The main purpose of wiki maintenance is to ensure that the content of
> each page provides the user with a clear,
>  concise and up-to-date description of the Blender function in the
> current version. Over and above this, the page
>  should conform with the User Manual context (see below) so that we keep
> a uniform User Manual layout." ....should always be the standard.
>
>  I'd also like to propose doing a user poll at Blenderartists.org (if you
> think it would be productive and help to improve useability)  to ask if:
>
>
>    - Do you use the wiki?
>    - How often % vs videos and/or books?
>    - Do you have any suggestions for improving it so you would use it
>    more?
>    - What do you think of this page vs this page?  (the current version
>    vs my proposed version).
>
>  BTW,  I didn't realize until after I had started the editing that Fade
> had already started working on the Sketching pages.......I tried to contact
> him/her to see if they wanted to finish
>  alone, with my help, or would want me to finish the pages....no reply ,
> so am not publishing the pages yet, though did submit it to Jim for
> review.
>
>  There's a good primer on website useability, Don't Make Me Think<http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357869508&sr=8-1&keywords=book+don%27t+make+me+think>,
> and I believe the same idea makes sense for the wiki, too.
>
>  I was going to post this at the doc-board, but wanted to get your Ok
> first. It may have even already been proposed years ago.....I'm still wet
> behind the ears here & in Blender.
>
>  If you do think it's worth pursuing, I'd even be willing to limit my
> editing to cleaning up all the current pages.......it would be a good
> project to keep me off the streets. =)
>
>  Whatever you think is best, I'll abide with it.
>
>  Thanks,
>  Cal
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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