With all the recent discussion about usability (also pushed on by the recent usabilty testing) I'd like to make a suggestion.
First, I'll outline two simple examples that I want to draw on (and don't run away at the offensive words!)
Microsft Word (and other word processors)
When you first install MS Word and fire it up, what's the first thing you get? Yes, it opens a new document and straight from the outset, if you start writing, you're writing a document and it's doing exactly what you expect it to be doing. It's creating a document.
Now, MS Word comes with a huge number of formatting options which a new user won't have a clue about. But the initial feeling you get when you start is, "hey, I can create documents!". Users are more than happy to then go on and learn more. They expect other features take learning and are prepared to set aside some time to learn them.
But the important thing here is, when you first run it, it's doing exactly what you expect.
Apache install for developers
OK, lets look at another example, more complex and designed for developers, Apache installation. Whether you install from an RPM, compile from source or use your operating systems package manager, what's the first thing you do after install/basic conf? Yes, you point a web browser at it.
Now, a basic install will always bring back that familar first page that ships with Apache. You devs will know the one I mean. So what's the "instant gratification" here? It's the very fact that your new install delivered a page, via http, to your browser. In this case, it's "great, it worked!". Going on to configure is a more complex issue then most end users would consider but this example is for devs.
Sum up
What I'm getting at here is that "arhhh :)" moment. A sense of meeting initial expectations and a sense of achievment that'll spur one on to more things. The "feel good factor".
Proposal
So, given all said so far, what am I proposing? Well, on the first install of Drupal, there are zero nodes on the site. When you visit your brand new site, a lack of nodes brings up that start page with useful information on it. But that start page isn't a site. It's a place holder display until you actually create some posts/do something.
What I think would be a good idea is on install, inject a series of nodes from the outset. The first node is a "Welcome to your site" initial posting with outlines on "how to edit this post", "why is this post sticky?", etc.
Then, a series nodes each in themselves basically "howTo"s, starting from simple and getting mnore advanced.
What does this achive? Not only does it place valuble information into the new users hands out of the box, you give them a website, exactly what they are expect. That initial "arh :)" moment of actually having real content which they can then go onto to edit/delete/do what ever. But it's a real RON type display rather than a placeholder page.
Comments
Cross posted to GSoC
Can't edit the above page, get a WSOD, but just wanted to say I cross posted this to http://groups.drupal.org/node/9448 with is one of the GSoC tasks. Maybe something like this could happen over there?
Good idea
Wonderful idea. This is a similar way like Tiddlywiki does it: The default first node there gives you help how to get started http://www.tiddlywiki.com/
We could get even bolder: How about linking to the tree introductory Screencasts on that default nodes cwgordon (aka birdmanx35) suggests here: http://groups.drupal.org/node/9448#comment-30992
So this "starter set" could get you going right away: create some nodes, add them to the menu, create a vocabulary, tag some nodes, whatever. Simple, basic tasks but done in five minutes. So the user has got the "Yo man, I can do it" feeling you mentioned.
Life is a process
Life is a journey, not a destination
Use install profiles?
I'm also pretty sure that the node injection describe could be done as part of the profile that's used to install Drupal and that'll mean no changes to node.module that put's up that initial page. Using the profiles to create the content then be determined by the profile in question.
I think deciding what the content of the initial injection is a wider topic for discussion. But, as said, it can be pretty much anything. The main point is that after install, you've not only got a site, but it has content that the user can immediately fiddle with (read/edit/unpublish/delete/etc) rather than the currently slightly boring default screen leaving the user think, "erm, ok, what next, I have to start digging".
Rather than dig around, given then a coherent stream of informative posts.
The profile could even install an initial vocab, add terms and classify the startup posts. Then one of the posts can describe the actual installed system they have, how it was done and how to tweak it etc. I'm blethering now. But the point is, make a site, not set a puzzel.
Yep
This is totally the direction I am planning to take the single-user blog install profile once I get some time to site down and bang on it. The idea of seeing samples with instructions would go a long way to getting people using the basics of their site very quickly.
Lullabot loves you
Learn Drupal online at Drupalize.me
I'm thinking about this as
I'm thinking about this as well.
If you install Joomla!, it will offer an option to pre-install dummy data at install screen. It is useful for first time users but sometimes it may a bit difficult to remove.
Another good example is WordPress. One sample node and one sample comment. Easy to remove if you don't want them.
Option
It should be an install profile, and yes it's a good idea. A lot of new users seem to think the default welcome page is a content page, so they try to remove it by hacking the module it's hidden in. I don't see why node/1 couldn't become the welcome page, even without sample content enabled.
That was the decision finally made
to make the introduction message a node, in this thread about the welcome/no-nodes-promoted message, but I can't find where the issue to actually do that is.
From Factory Joe's Review wiki page here on d.g.o chx says the same:
Note that not having PHP on by default anymore potentially complicates making this special node. (I think this is easily overcome by writing this node dynamically, rather than making it dynamic on display?)
Anyway, I'm certain there's an issue for replacing the hard-coded introduction page (no nodes) message with a node 1 that could be set differently by installation profiles, but I can't find it on drupal.org. (I can find one of the first calls for a better welcome message though...)
Actually, I guess the current momentum is to keep the "welcome message" special (not a node) but to make it alterable:
Make node_page_default use it's own theme function
benjamin, Agaric Design Collective
benjamin, agaric
As a first user ....
There are a lot of simple targets that a new user (I mean someone who have made up is first Drupal install on a host) will desire to implement at the beginning. As from my experience (some 2 years ago) I wanted to modify the "Welcome page". And yes the first thing as many of other that reported to me was that they get frustrated because they could not modify anything on the welcome page. So I went to hack the system.module and of course as a beginner get in trouble after it come up to make the first update, because the lovely "Welcome Page " was there again !!.
But anyway i have learned with the time and build my simple "Admin Target Page" with following little tools to launch when I need it as a Theme Developer on my local server*:
Clean Cache
Clean Counter
Clean safely Wachtdog
Change some unwanted text messages and labels
Permission page collapsed
Module Page collapsed
Check and delete all the screenshots from the themes folders
Check and delete all the license.txt files and not neccessary .psd files from the Themes
and many others.
Cheers
Wolfflow
Good Ideas!
I'm working on a project right now to provide our clients with a custom user guide. I work for a small drupal development shop, providing custom content management solutions which are handed off at fruition for our clients to manage. I really like the idea of giving them a Admin Target Page to give an overview of the features they have available. Your concept of making a help file demo page that leads them through the steps to create whatever content they might need for the site sounds great! What I'd really like to do is be able to maintain our own user guide in small chunks and in tandem with the drupal help and advanced help allow our developers to configure which parts of our guide and the native drupal help would be most useful for their specific drupal project.
~JI
✩ I believe in coffee ✩