Redesigning the Official Node.js Website

[bnb]

Something the Website WG has discussed for quite a while now is the need for a redesign (ref: #1375, #1338, #1075, #1074, #508, and many others).

@hackygolucky and myself had a discussion with @leo a while back to try to understand the state of the former redesign (living at https://github.com/nodejs/nodejs.org-new) and came to the understanding that we need to have the discussions around a redesign and rework this in the open, rather than in private - the goal being to enable everyone to participate and engage in the work and discussion around the direction of the website.

So, I'd like to kick that discussion off.

There are many issues, both minor and major, with the current website. It's functional for downloads and docs, but we can do better. I'd like to propose that we don't rush this, as we don't just need a redesign - we need a restructuring.

Here's my proposal for how we move forward:

• Site Structure
  • Assess current site structure, see what's needed and what's not.
  • Call for feedback on what the current site is missing in terms of content.
  • Propose a suggested site structure that we can pass to designers
• Design
  • Begin the process of conceptualizing design.
  • Enable multiple people to work on the design from a base. Do not enable a single user / individual to implement the design - we've attempted this in the past with io.js and Node.js, and haven't had success.
  • Apply design to the site structure and begin implementation
• Implementation
  • Figure out what kind of implementation will enable more collaborators and contributors to come into the project
  • Begin implementing design and site structure with code

That's a very crude outline, and I'd truly appreciate any feedback/suggestions on how it can be improved or changed to fit the needs of this project moving forward.

I'd also like to share an article by Adam Miller (@amiller-gh), Redesigning Nodejs.org, in which he did a significant amount of work in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of our website currently - and an impressive assesment of sites with a similar purpose. This article stemmed from discussions at the Node.js Interactive 2017 Collaborator's Summit.

[bnb]

Pinging a few people I can think of that I've talked to over the past ~year who've expressed an interest in helping out with this:

@skllcrn @codetheory @darcyclarke

[fhemberger]

I've been talking to @gtewallace on how to align the theme of foundation.nodejs.org with the general website as well. We'll be working on it starting next year.

And wow, @amiller-gh did an amazing job with his blog post, so many great ideas! I'm sorry we're still stuck with that outdated design. I hacked it together in 2015 as quick adaption of the old Node.js website and what we had in place at iojs.org. Everybody back then was like "yup, works for now" and it grew so quickly and there was too much other work. So it somehow ended up permanent …

I think first steps would be indeed to find a common ground for a new site structure (also how to integrate the Foundation pages and docs) and a general voice and tone for the site. Some parts are too technical and dry reading, not very suitable for beginners.

Mailchimp has some great examples:

• https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/
• http://voiceandtone.com/

[bnb]

Added cc-agenda label because we've discussed this in the past in Community Committee meetings, and it's probably good for the CommComm to discuss it again.

fyi - discussion is underway to organize this as a commcomm strategic initiative over at nodejs/community-committee#203

[JonahMoses]

@pup When the time comes for implementation I'd be happy to raise my hand to help.

[maddhruv]

hey, @pup I also want to contribute to the redesigning of the website!
Can you involve me?

[skllcrn]

Been talking with @bnb about this and would love to take part in the project, helping out with the design. If I'm needed it would be great to know a little in advance so that I can plan.

[phillipj]

Really happy to see a new redesign initiative and love the goal of getting discussions into the open, much appreciated!

A good friend of mine has been wanting to get involved for a while. We would be very lucky if we were able to get his talents onboard 🤞

@jestho wink wink 😉