On 2012-12-04 1:06 AM, H. Hirzel wrote:
> Hello Chris and Darius
>
> with the part Darius suggested added 'Take Part In The Innovation'
> (TPITI) there is now quite some redundancy with the menu at the left.
> e.g
>
> Project Links (Menu)    ==>  'Discover Squeak's projects' (TPITI)
> Documentation (Menu)    ==>  'Explore the documentation' (TPITI)
> Developer Links (Menu)    ==>  'Find tools via the developer links.' (TPITI)
>
> Web  users normally look at the menu and need to to be told so.
>
> Maybe the TPITI info and the menu can be combined resulting in a more
> attractive wording of the menu entries (verb plus object)?
>
> This would as well shift up the six boxes below which makes it more
> attractive at first glance as everything fits on a regular screen?
>
> --Hannes
>
You'd like to remove the TPITI and style the menu as Smalltalk code. I'm 
not sure either of those is a good idea. Casey wanted more color and I'm 
not sure that's a good idea either. I don't think the webpage should be 
the attraction. A little dull is probably better.

I figure a site has to work on two levels: immediate impression; and, 
subsequent usefulness. People being people, they like a bit of noise and 
chaos in the immediate impression. The current squeak.org gives a great 
first impression, because its so busy and colorful. It's utility isn't 
great. The redundancy of the TPITI, which you see as a defect, I see as 
a contributing to immediate impression. The items in the TPITI overlap 
with the menu and emphasize the menu.

I also think that people are attracted by what they can only partially 
see. To give you an example from cinema, a director will often put 
something in the way of an object the audience wants to see to increase 
their desire to see it. An example from Lord Of The Rings - The Return 
Of The King: after much preamble about the witch king of Angmar riding a 
dragon, our first view is obscured by a castle spire. Spielberg does it 
all the time. Obscure to increase curiosity.

My point is that because you can only see half of the six areas at the 
bottom of the screen, your curiosity is nettled, and you scroll down to 
see the rest of the page. Did you not do exactly that, Hannes? Isn't 
that what you are protesting against being forced to do? You would like 
to see the whole page without having to scroll. I would like to see this 
"defect" as prompting people to interact with the site.

Chris