MediaWiki/Homepage redesign/Design Document

This project intends to reformulate the layout of the MediaWiki Homepage to better reflect the work and activities of our community. The new layout aims to express the full potential of MediaWiki. The homepage is the first contact that community has with the tool and this is an opportunity to awaken interest in MediaWiki and to help people use it and contribute. This project will identify and define what content is most important, as well as develop an appropriate look and feel to convey to visitors. The project requires analyzing the current problems, proposing a solution and implementing it - all with the participation of the community.

This document also captures the relevant points of Requests for comment/MediaWiki.org Main Page tweaks, which will be deprecated.

Rationale
Since 2012 the community has discussed the MediaWiki Homepage, and there is a common sense that the homepage needs reformulating. The current homepage has some reported problems that must be fixed, and dozens of suggestions for improvement. The statistics of MW.org access show that the most accessed pages have link on the homepage. However, some important links could use more prominence to assist and guide new users. We want to help people interested in contributing to find the right information to get started. The table below show the 10 most viewed articles in April 2013. As of this statistics could reflect if the results are aligned with the purpose and strategy of MediaWiki.

Main problems of current homepage

 * Lack harmonizing colors used.
 * Barely tapped space.
 * Duplicated links.


 * Too big box to select language
 * Lots of versions for download
 * Don't transmitted any feel to visitant
 * Don't answer the questions:
 * What problem it solves?
 * Why I'd want to use it?
 * Who uses it?
 * How I can use it?

Improvements suggested by the community

 * Add block to showcase sites made with MediaWiki (testimonials, screen-shot and link).
 * Add statistics about MediaWiki (automatically updated).
 * Add "Popular Pages" or "Frequently Accessed/Requested Pages" box.
 * Use photos instead of icons.
 * Use icons newer.
 * Implement symmetry between elements.
 * Replace "Current version" box by a single prominent [Download X] button.
 * Split developers into "Core" and "Extensions".
 * Merging two blocks "News" and "New opportunities" or removing "News" box.
 * Incorporate current user box into header area.
 * Design focus for visitors and new users.
 * Identify the important links to keep the homepage.
 * Actions instead bucketing people.
 * Refresh sidebar.

Contents suggested by the community

 * Software prerequisites
 * Screenshots
 * List of the most important features
 * Download link
 * Dates of last releases
 * Step-by-step tutorial to install
 * Bug utility
 * Support forum / mailing list / IRC channel
 * Online demo

Questions

 * What is MediaWiki?
 * What problem it solves?
 * Why I'd want to use it?
 * Who uses it?
 * How I can get it?
 * How I can use it?
 * Why we adore MediaWiki?
 * Why we like to contribute to MediaWiki?

Process
The evolution of this project is totally dependent of participation the community because every decision needs to be made with a consensual agreement.