Have you guys seen what Andy Peatling has done for BuddyPress plugins using groups? I’m in love with it.
Full size: http://twitpic.com/1b0joi/full
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Jen Mylo
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Dre 9:04 pm on March 26, 2010 Permalink
That’s pretty slick! I want one
Jane, I hear you’re keynoting WordCamp Orange County next month
I look forward to meeting you.
Jon 1:23 am on March 27, 2010 Permalink
Me too! (On both BP and WCOC)
dd32 11:14 pm on March 26, 2010 Permalink
Now that is slick..
Denis de Bernardy 11:49 pm on March 26, 2010 Permalink
There’s Too much navigation elements imo.
Jane Wells 11:55 pm on March 26, 2010 Permalink
Wow, do you ever just say something nice? Granted, there’s a lot of navigation and probably if we used a system like this it would wind up looking pretty different, but come on. This is heads and shoulders above what we have currently.
Denis de Bernardy 8:14 am on March 27, 2010 Permalink
“Wow, do you ever just say something nice?” — Just as much, I dare hope, as you look at things with a critical eye.
You find it pretty. It is pretty indeed.
Regardless, the bells and whistles all get in the way of the most important piece of information, i.e. what the plugin is about. Imo, what we have currently is heads and shoulders above that mockup.
Andy P 2:21 pm on March 27, 2010 Permalink
There’s exactly the same number of nav elements on that mockup as on the WordPress plugin repo, they’re just different.
One big difference is the secondary nav is in a sidebar and not under the main nav.
Denis de Bernardy 11:54 pm on March 28, 2010 Permalink
That, and the prominence of forum/feedback, are the two things that tickle me in the design. Our current layout is certainly a little light on graphics, as well as on where to report bugs, get support, etc. Nonetheless, it’s not getting in the way of the plugin’s description.
John James Jacoby 2:49 pm on March 27, 2010 Permalink
I think the navigation elements are justified, since they’re relevant information that you currently don’t get without additional navigation. Andy’s screen shot gives you everything you need to immediately judge a plugin (and interact with it) in one fell swoop.
While we’re being critical… Denis, your hat doesn’t match your shirt.
Denis de Bernardy 11:55 pm on March 28, 2010 Permalink
Actually, it’s the shirt that doesn’t match the hat.
Lari 10:03 am on March 27, 2010 Permalink
Well said, I agree 100%.
r-a-y 5:59 pm on March 29, 2010 Permalink
Cool! Can’t wait until this hits the streets!
Jeffro 4:08 am on April 1, 2010 Permalink
Just another example that shows WordPress.org should be wiped out and restarted with BuddyPress.
Xavier 1:31 pm on April 1, 2010 Permalink
While I love me some prutty design, I do think that there is a lot that grabs the eye in this layout.
It could be improved if the plugin description was moved above the “middle grey bar” (hence keeping less-important content such as support topics and user comments below that bar), change said middle bar to something that doesn’t make it look like the top navigation bar, only with bigger fonts (which could confuse people), and bring the actual plugin navigation bar (Home..Admin..etc.) to its true importance.
I’m all for bringing more community into each plugin’s information page, but not against readability. I currently am used to the current plugin page layout and truly love its simplicity, so I might be biased, but I do currently think that some design choices here are not helping the casual visitor, but rather overwhelming her with various levels of importance given to many differing content — and verging towards information overload.
Andy P 2:45 pm on April 2, 2010 Permalink
This mockup is just the plugin “home” screen. All the pages with the exact same layout and information as wp.org plugin pages exist under the “plugin info” tab.
Xavier 9:13 pm on April 4, 2010 Permalink
Thanks Andy. Does that mean the layout completely changes once the user clicks one of the navigation link? Or did I misunderstand you there?