[MG] Clearing entry paths for new users

[Michael Allan]

Thomas von der Elbe wrote:
> I think Ed and I mean, to have the full text-option in the
> diff-bridge itself. And thinking about it, we wouldnt even need both
> text side by side, but just one full text and the diffs in it. I'd
> like to have such a view-possibility.

That's a possible solution.  But I think Ed has his finger squarely on
the problem, and it seems to call for a solution in the wiki, assuming
it's feasible.  (I never used to think so, but now I do.)

It reminds me of the time (Thomas) when you floated the idea of
installing that text annotation tool "co-ment" in the wiki.  Remember?
That got us looking in the right ballpark, and it led us eventually to
the difference bridge as a solution.  I think we've come full circle,
in a sense. *

Imagine we're all standing on the bridge:
http://u.zelea.com:8080/v/w/D?b=4044&a=4048&aR=2722&bR=2721

Again Ed asks:
> Is this a good point of entry? It just shows the diff fragments
> without surrounding context. Shouldn't users be encouraged to start
> on someone's full draft? ...

        (1)          (2)

        -->          -->
  List       Bridge       Wiki
        <--          <--      

        (4)          (3)

We entered via (1).  Ed is now pointing across to the wiki and wishing
he were there, or that he might enter from there.  Two engineering
insights follow from this: a) this might really be a bridge, and b) it
has no connection to the other side.  Anyway, it has no footing in the
wiki comparable to its footing in the list.

Imagine the bridge had something more extensive on the wiki side,
something like "co-ment" for example, or your "wiki-way". *
The usage scenario might then be:

 a) The user is on the bridge, same as before:
    http://u.zelea.com:8080/v/w/D?b=4044&a=4048&aR=2722&bR=2721

 b) He moves the mouse down the page.  Whenever it crosses a diff
    section (green or magenta) the mnemonic to the left (Th or Ed) is
    subtly highlighted, enough to indicate that it's clickable.

 c) The user clicks the 'Th' mnemonic in fragment 2.  Now he's exiting
    to the wiki:

              (2)

      Bridge  -->  Wiki

    He lands on Thomas's draft:
    http://metagovernment.org/w/index.php?oldid=2722

    Except he lands directly on the line "free to vote on every issue
    of his/her concern", i.e. the same line he clicked on in the
    bridge.

    Furthermore that line is highlighted in green, exactly as it was
    in the bridge.

    In fact, *all* portions of Thomas's draft that differ from Ed's
    are highlighted in green, in the wiki.

 d) Scrolling down the page, the user sees a "StratML" link that
    (imagine) is also highlighted in green:
    http://metagovernment.org/w/index.php?oldid=2722#Transition

    Floating to the left is an icon shaped like a bridge.  In fact,
    every green highlighted diff-section has its own little bridge
    icon to the left.

 e) The user clicks on the icon adjacent to "StratML".
    Now he enters the bridge again:

      Bridge  <--  Wiki

              (3)

    He lands directly on fragment 3:
    http://u.zelea.com:8080/v/w/D?b=4044&a=4048&aR=2722&bR=2721#_3

Alexander Praetorius wrote:
> ... There is no "visual concept" which enables users to intuitively
> understand the voting tool. Users cannot really learn what the tools
> can do for them by experimenting with them. They have to read the
> manual to know how thing work ...

I agree, that's no good.  The user's tasks aren't essentially
difficult to understand, so neither should the tools be.  They should
fit the task.  Consensus making is incredibly complex, but it's
complexity of a kind that people are built to handle.  As long as our
tools don't get in their way, they should naturally fall into the
process.

Add to the scenario above: By default a voter's draft is marked with
the differences vs. the candidate.  So a first-time user stumbling on
Thomas's draft (say) will be drawn naturally onto the bridge (3) by
curiosity.  Probably will, right?

Add also "post links" for exiting on the list side of the bridge (4).
Each post link lands the user on a post in which that particular diff
is being discussed.** The post always contains a link going in the
reverse direction, back to the bridge (1).

Will that be sufficiently intuitive?  Or at least rewarding to
explore?  What do you think?


 * http://groups.google.com/group/votorola/msg/02386b5291ea78a6

   The "wiki-way" Thomas refers to is shown here:
   http://u.zelea.com/w/User:ThomasvonderElbe_GmxDe/G/p/vohall?oldid=1441

** We get the post links from Conseo's list scrapers, same as the diff
   feed.

-- 
Michael Allan

Toronto, +1 416-699-9528
http://zelea.com/



Originally posted to the mailing list of the Metagovernment Project:
http://metagovernment.org/mailman/listinfo/start_metagovernment.org