Yesterday, I posted that perhaps we should encourage new users to spend more time in the live environment before they install. I suggested that we do this by means of a welcome application.
Generally, people seemed to like the idea of a welcome application – something to highlight Ubuntu’s abilities and to guide through common issues.
Here’s some mock ups that might show more of what I meant.
An introductory video is running [1] along with some short text explaining the application’s purpose [2]. Common tasks are listed [3]. What’s missing from this is two things – a close button and an install button. I’m not sure how to work this because I am trying to encourage it being run – I think a little install tab in the top right along with a small close button might work. I want to encourage not irritate.
The user is interested in getting online and has clicked on a link to get here. The application’s checked for available connections. In this case, there is a wireless connection available, so the context sensitive hyperlink [1] has linked a video/screencast [3] showing the user how to connect. With the failure to detect a wired connection, the context sensitive hyperlink links to a troubleshooting page. Successful connection has resulted in a notification [2] and triggered the “what now” box, guiding the user to what is now available.
I can see a number of issues:
- Videos and screen-casts have been requested from the doc-team for inclusion in the past but translation and localisation is an issue. I don’t spend a lot of time with screen-cast technology so I don’t know how easy it is to localize. Recording a new video for each release might be relatively straightforward if the tool chain is correctly configured.
- The feedback mechanism that would permit context sensitive hyper-links. I would like it to be as automated as possible.
- What to check, what to suggest and how to decide what tasks are most important for inclusion.
- Size – the Live CD is limited on space, video is large – how possible is this idea?
Of these, I think the size issue is the greatest. It might not be possible at all to have video or screen-casts but it should be possible to have room for images and text. It would also allow easier localisation.
Still – it’s just an idea. Oh and thanks to Pencil – rather impressive OSS mock up software.
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Wireframes
another idea would be – if there is internet connectivity – to interconnect people. on irc, on instant messaging, or on a simple wiki website for newbies (with an integrated chat window?)
personally, i feel introductory settings as known from microsoft windows and similar always to be a bit “over the top”. if the focus is more on peer 2 peer and thus allowing for very very basic questions, it might lower barrier to entrance.
I like the idea. I wonder if you could make the basic elements pictures/screenshots, and in the background replace them with mirrored video after the live session confirms internet connectivity and some basic language preferences. This way the bulk of the video can be stored in the cloud and the community can work on the video voice overs to customize for local regionalization. If the new user doesn’t have connectivity (or is impatient) then all they get is a static graphic. But if they can wait until the video loads then they can have some nice quality video for their experience.
Good idea that, we’d still need to keep them small.