Aaron Griffin wrote:

On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 4:38 PM, Dusty Phillips <buchuki@gmail.com> wrote:

I think there should be a download link in the "About" text, a
download link on the right hand side, and leave the "Get Arch" link on
the menu. If anybody misses it in all three places they probably
wouldn't pass Simo's "Are you human" test on the forum anyway.


I still think there needs to be one in the giant "what's arch" blurb
on the main page. If you're reading that text, you're probably new and
looking for a download.

1) +1 for general UI revamp. I think most of us agree that it's at _least_ "weird" to have so many important links in the bottom right corner, which is pretty much the least likely place to scan.
2) +1 for renaming "Get arch" to "Download"
3) I would put a new menu item in the top menu, called "About" which also links to the /about page
4) At the end of the 'about' talk, you can put a download link, you can really make it stand out there (after text, few empty lines, then in the center the blue 'download link')
5) I think 2 + 3&4 are better solutions then Aarons "adding a link to the download page in the "what's arch" blurb"-idea: it could be useful, but I think the top-right links really attract the eyes already, and 4 is a good fallback for users who take the other route.
6) The 'releases' block on frontpage: how relevant is any of the information in there?. Only the last release is somewhat relevant on the front page. I suggest removing the block there and moving the information to the download page. (which also needs a revamp/restructure btw, there is lots of wasted space there.
7) the 'package repositories' and 'recent updates' blocks and 'package search' field on the frontpage. Is any of that relevant on the frontpage? Maybe we should put an item 'Packages' in the top menu, and link to /packages. We could extend the packages page (or divide packages related things over multiple pages) to add an overview of available repositories, recently updated packages etc.

Putting the above things together: the blocks on the right are gone, the 'documentation' , 'community' etc links can go up, replacing the blocks and making the links more visible. (I do think that having all links visible separately can be good thing - eg they are not hidden because of a menu with 2 levels whether it be dropdown or a tabbed menu with main items and subitems)
When we get that far, we might as well swap right and left too: the top menu items aligned left, the links on the left, and the 'about box' and the news on the center/right, but this is more a matter of personal taste I guess.

Just my 8 cents :-)

PS: I can help with the redesign/restructure if needed, but preferably only after a consensus is reached. It's not that I really like designing things "for fun" but if we reach a (sort of) consensus and you lack the manpower, I would be glad to help.

Dieter