[OBSOLETE] Improve organization of WiserEarth Help Desk, clearly include suggestions/feedback forum
Problem
For new users, it is not direct to see/find the Feedback and Suggestions forums and the WiserEarth Help Desk seems a little disheveled.
Suggestion
I think some reorganization of the WiserEarth Help Desk would be beneficial.
How I Can Help
Well, I'd incorporate the center "General Help" box into the other two boxes, with some modification, particularly to include the Feedback / Suggestions forum:
Start Here
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FAQs, Tutorials, and Other Information
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Some additional organization might be a good idea, for example, in the "More...." sections. (PS: The title of the second "More....." page might be better as "More FAQs, Tutorials, and Information".)
Comments (1 - 7 of 7)
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Give Feedback/Suggestion would fit I guess, in two lines. But I think I'm seeing elsewhere that the standard word is 'feedback'.
'Solution' actually originates from "best practice". Not sure why we chose solution, perhaps for brevity and for popularity too? (the phrase "solution-oriented" and "new solutions to old problems" comes to mind).
Yes, I will close this suggestion by adding 'obsolete' to the title. Feel free to start another thread on the emerging discussion. Like you, I still have issues with how the group banner is lingering across pages that are not even part of that group. I think the algorithm can still be improved. But let's talk that in another thread. |
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Technically, I think "Give Feedback" is correct (more general). I'm surprised that "Give Feedback/Suggestion" would not fit. (I'm inclined to guess that one of the developers might think that a change to the code would allow it to fit.)
Perhaps the real issue, though, is the "Add a Solution" menu item, with people like me confusing it with Suggestion/Feedback. Is "Solution" really the most appropriate word? Looking at the WE glossary, I'd say a more appropriate and distinct word is "Practice", which would eliminate potential confusion with the "Give Feedback" menu item, e.g. "Add a Practice".
My main concern about the missing navigation menu at the top is when you are not actually on a group page. For example, go to this page and then this other one. It's the missing navigation menu on the second page that bothers me.
However, scanning the discussion thread about organization profile redesign, I like the navigation menu at the top there too (shown in the prototype design images). It sounds like the item of contention is the size of the WE logo, not the top menus nor search bar. I would recommend making the WE logo much smaller (less height and prominence), with everything else in the header the exact same as other WE pages (including menus and search bar), and have the header section no taller than it is in a current group page.
Perhaps I need to close this suggestion article in some way, and incorporate the suggestions that are emerging from our discussion into other articles. Does that sound right? |
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Hmm... I see your point on changing to "Give Feedback/Suggestion". Esthetically speaking though, it would make the link span two lines and doesn't look too pretty (i.e. tab/menu width can not accommodate the length). Would "Give Suggestion" be best? Anyone know what's the standard word/phrase used on other websites?
Good point on providing upfront explanation on WE's many type of records/listings. I think this should be on the main tutorial (which badly needs a total rewrite. we're waiting on some internal discussion to conclude before revamping that page though...)
As for sticking the main navigation menu on top of all WE pages (including on group pages), it's a bit tricky as we want to give make WE's presence less visible on the group pages (increasing group identity/branding). Also, the links would somehow be redundant with group specific links (create a new event, create a new resource, etc.) But check the discussion thread about organization profile redesign in the editors group. You'll see that the first mockup there actually incorporates your thinking. I wonder what we'll end up with though (Angus? Honore?).
Synergy, wiser earth? Yes! :) Interesting don't you think?
Cheers, Bowo
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"Was that not obvious enough?"
Bowo, you make a good point. I'm now not all that convinced that my How I Can Help section, above, is very pertinent.
As a new user, I would sometimes get confused looking down the "Contribute" menu between "Add a Solution" (which is not where I'd make a suggestion) and "Give Feedback" (which is where I would). Maybe if the latter was labeled "Give Feedback / Suggestion", that would make things more clear to us new users. On a side note, the "Add a Solution" is pretty confusing by itself--that is, without awareness of what WE's conception of what a solution is.
Another piece of my confusion puzzle is that sometimes the top menus do not appear in WE, at least for me. For example, when I am "in a group" (let's say I go to this page and then this other one), the menus (Explore, Contribute, and About) do not appear, nor does the top-right search bar. My suggestion might be fraying, but I would think that always seeing these top menus and the search bar would be beneficial to users, for navigation and for orientation. The "Give Feedback / Suggestions" link would then always be just a click away. (If people like this idea, I can make a separate suggestion for it.)
Synergy, who would have thought--a wiser Earth? :)
PS: Link fix verified! |
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Hi Bret,
Thanks for going through thinking and crafting this suggestion page!
I like the idea of more explicitly linking the Help Desk with the Suggestions group. However, I'm wondering a bit about the problem statement. The Suggestion group is actually given a prominent place on the main navigation under the 'Contribute' tab ("Give Feedback" link), while the Help Desk is placed under the "About" tab. Was that not obvious enough?
Also, the Suggestions group and Group Support group is already linked from the Related Groups module (but not the Solutions Support group yet! So I have added that). And the main purpose of the Help Desk is to provide a member a quick and easy way to report problems and get help. So changing the No. 3 of the Start Here section as you proposed kinda make things a little complicated. But that's probably just me!
I wonder what others think on this?
Changed the link in the Build Community and Visibility wiki as suggested. Excellent find! (as usual!)
Btw, your suggestion above inspired a solution for a problem that Celeste reported the other day: Linking within a group to modules (see my latest comment there). I learned of that from the Help hyperlink on No.3 of Start Here section you wrote. Just realized that you were actually able to find an anchor to the "Help is here" bulletin board!... Brilliant!!!
Thanks Bret and let's see where this suggestion of yours leads us to.
Bowo
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As a side note, in the Build Community and Visibility section of the following article,
http://www.wiserearth.org/article/e6d1e607f6e29b9f3bf253d61edd9c92
there is a feedback link, which appears to point to a page that is outdated:
http://www.wiserearth.org/index.php//article/UserFeedback/
This link should probably be updated to point to: http://www.wiserearth.org/group/suggestions |
Very good; thanks Bowo. I made two suggestions from our discussion in this suggestion: