GnomeWeb Use Cases

The following use cases describe scenarios, reasons why a user would go to wgo to find or do something. These use cases are currently deduced from the GnomeWeb/WgoScope, what we currently offer in wgo and the GnomeWeb/GnomeSubsites, some common sense and some feedback from GNOME contributors. These use cases are key in order to define the GnomeWeb/NewWgoStructure and also the GnomeWeb/LayoutPlanning, and change done to the use cases imply a revision of the web structure (if we need more pages or changes in the current ones) and the layout components (if we need more components or changes in the current ones).

A first approach to use cases

A deeper research is needed in order to have a more accurate list of use cases and a more objective prioritization. This research could include:

• Analysis of the user feedback received via webmasterATgnomeDOTorg, the gnome-web-list and similar channels.
• Analysis of the web logs to see where users come from, what are they searching, what they actually do.
• A better GNOME marketing strategy that would define how can we satisfy beter the users, and what do we expect from the in our websites.
• Polls and/or interviews to representative users to find deeper caveats in our websites.

• A better definition of GnomeWeb/WebPersonas and intensive play with the defined personas, to find inconsistencies and more caveats.

Changes in this document might imply a revision of the GnomeWeb/LayoutPlanning, the GnomeWeb/LooknFeel, the GnomeWeb/CmsRequirements and the GnomeWeb/Localization.

The Path to Enlightenment

The wgo meta-use-case is based on involvement: someone knowing a bit about GNOME wants to know more, someone using it wants to use it more, someone contributing to it wants to contribute more, and so on. Starting with users with an interest on software on freedom, these would be the broad steps of involvement:

1. Those interested in software and/or freedom want to know about GNOME.
2. Those interested in GNOME want to try it.
3. Those trying GNOME want to use it more / better.
4. Those using GNOME want to be involved.
5. Those involved in GNOME want to have a second iteration knowing more about GNOME, try other GNOME aspects, use it even more / better, get more involved... (let's leave this one for the next release)

Audience

This can be considered the primary targets of wgo. Let's concentrate on satisfying them before thinking on more secondary targets.

• Hobbyists - Specially those with a specific interest in software and/or freedom, having in mind the users of large GNOME deployments. We have GNOME / free software users, as well as non-free software users thinking of a change. Many use cases related to this profile are also found in the rest of profiles.

• Press - Specially IT journalists, also independent media and other interested in the social aspects of free software. Many press use cases are common to hobbyists' since both are passive profiles, but journalists are more demanding.

• Third party developers - aka independent software developers or vendors (ISD / ISV). They probably need to know as much as a journalist but a lot more about all the elements needed to make them choose our development platform amb make a good use of it.

• Public sector - Specially with a focus on Education deployments, also corporate intranets; their specialization ranges from IT managers to sysadmins. They might comprise a mixture of the previous profiles plus sysadmins of large deployments.

• GNOME contributors - direct contributors, also those contributing via distros. Their needs include most of the previous use cases plus those related to regular internal communication and collaboration. Think that most contributors come from the profiles mentioned above.

• Web maintainers - strictly speaking they also need to be considered, see below.

These targets have been chosen following a very pragmatic approach, taking in account the three target markets prioritized in the GUADEC Marketing BOF ("Agenda") plus two obvious web user types.

Use cases

Most of the following use cases are obtained by combining the path to enlightenment with the target profiles. Use cases within a target audience are listed by relevance.

Hobbyists

Non free software users

1. I'm looking for a program to do this
2. What does your software and how does it look like
3. Are there instructions, manuals, support available
4. Is your software available in language X?
5. What else do I get from using your software
6. Can this software for free really be as good as software that costs money?
7. But... is GNOME really for me?
8. What is actually a computer desktop, a free desktop?
9. I want to check comparatives of your software with other alternatives
10. I want to know who is using GNOME
11. I want to know what others say about GNOME
12. Who develops this software and why do they give it for free?
13. Where can I read more about the GNOME software and project?
14. I want to suggest an improvement to the website / a page is broken.
15. What is a LiveCD
16. I'm looking for free downloads, I'm a Windows/Mac user, no idea what you mean with the beer and speech thing
17. I landed to a wgo page following a link (i.e. via search results) and I wonder what is this.

Free software users

1. What relation does GNOME have with my [freeOS/distro]
2. How can I try the GNOME desktop
3. Help me choose the distro that suits me best
4. I need help to install and start using GNOME applications / desktop
5. What should I know about the GNOME-KDE discussion?

6. What is the relation / positioning of GNOME about [hot topic] (free software community, open content, licenses, creative commons, software patents, OpenDocument, digital divide, web standards, file sharing, blogging, accessibility, Web2.0...)

7. I'm using [not-GNOME], why should I try GNOME?
8. Is application X compatible with GNOME?
9. Is GNOME application X compatible with other desktops?
10. How is the GNOME community organized?
11. Someone from GNOME in my area/country?
12. How can I meet you in person?

GNOME users

1. How can I customize / pimp / power my GNOME system / application
2. I want to learn as much as possible about application X / GNOME
3. I want to receive news and updates about GNOME / about application X

4. I want to know about the latest & coolest unstable GNOME software

5. I want to understand the pieces that form GNOME
6. I want to follow the development of GNOME / of application X
7. I want to suggest an improvement / report a bug
8. I want to contribute code / texts / translations / design / testing / marketing...
9. I want to join a project
10. I want to buy merchandising
11. I want to produce/sell/distribute merchandising
12. I want to make a donation
13. I want to meet with other GNOME users
14. What does a GNOME user group do
15. Can our LUG be also a GNOME group?

Press

1. I want to receive press releases
2. I need fresh and cool success stories, with contacts to the people making them happen
3. Do you have a press kit?
4. I need materials (pictures, screenshots, videos...) I can freely publish
5. I need a quote about X / in language Y
6. Background information: history, milestones, places, statistics
7. Who is Who: key individuals, key organizations, key projects, key deployments
8. I want to interview / invite Mrs X
9. We are about to publish this article, is it ok for you to check it?
10. We have published this about GNOME and we want to let the GNOME community know
11. I'm going to event X, will you be there?
12. Tell me how to explain to my boss / my readers what is GNOME and why it matters
13. Can I use your logo
14. You could improve your press relations by doing this
15. Do you have GNOME software useful for press / media?
16. I want to know more about the press team

17. I might be interested helping you guys with press & promotion

ISDs

1. Where is the documentation for developers
2. We want to use library X, where is all the documentation
3. Why GNOME can be useful for us
4. We want to know about ISDs and commercial products using GNOME
5. We want to promote our project in the GNOME information channels
6. How this platform compares to other development platforms
7. We work usually with [programming language X], is it supported?

8. Best practices, known issues & common mistakes

9. How can we interact best with the GNOME community
10. How can we get free / paid support
11. Can you show us sustainable business models and success stories developing free software based in GNOME
12. What other developers / companies say about your development platform / your software
13. Does it make sense to develop non-free software with GNOME?
14. Overview of the GNOME architecture and development platform

15. What are the licenses, terms & conditions

16. What is the relation between GNOME and GTK+
17. Do you have a roadmap / long term plans for your development platform?
18. What are the compatibility issues we should consider
19. At which extent (backward) compatibility is assured.
20. We want to contact / meet / invite the developers of X
21. We want to give back
22. We want to submit a patch
23. Can we join you in your next meeting
24. What are the benefits of joining the Advisory Board of the GNOME Foundation

Public sector

1. We want to know and to contact case studies / huge deployments / best practices
2. We want to know about deployments howto's, institutional reports and recommendations
3. What the media say about you and other GNOME deployments
4. How to work together
5. How do I encourage the adoption of GNOME within my organization
6. How GNOME is dealing with standards, local languages, accessibility [and other features required in public developments]
7. How to provide quality feedback based on our GNOME experience
8. Can we invite a GNOME consultant/evangelist
9. We are searching partners for our GNOME projects
10. We need training for ours users / workers / administrators
11. Is it any kind of certification we could require when hiring GNOME administrators
12. Does it make sense for us to join the GNOME Foundation?

Contributors

Perhaps it would be useful to divide this target in "freelancers" or newcomers, team members and foundation members. These roles may overlap, but have generally different goals.

1. I want to know everything about product/project/team X
2. In which areas / projects is currently help more needed
3. Give me good reasons to help
4. I'm not an expert! Are you sure I can help?
5. I need some kind of test period / training / mentorship
6. I'm looking for contributors with similar profile/interests
7. I'm looking for info on people: profile, pictures, tasks, links, contact details...
8. Where can I help
9. I want to get a CVS account
10. I want to host my project in GNOME
11. I want my project to be part of the official release
12. I want to be in Planet GNOME
13. I want to publish stuff in [GNOME subsite X]
14. We want to publish / update information about our GNOME project in wgo
15. I want to help improving wgo
16. I want to promote GNOME (in my area), can you help?
17. Can I introduce myself as GNOME member in meeting/conference X?
18. I want to help in a GNOME boot at event X
19. What is the GNOME Foundation, is it something for me
20. How to apply to become a GNOME member
21. Do I know any member of the GNOME Foundation
22. When is it useful to contact the GNOME board
23. How to apply to become a Foundation board member
24. I want to have a GNOME related job

Web maintainers

A bunch of use cases are specific to web maintainers and ony to them. Generally these use cases are satisfied through editing tools. Let's use by now the GnomeWeb/CmsRequirements as a source for use cases that will be satisfied by the CMS chosen.

We might want to consider an extra use case that would affect the public wgo:

1. I want to edit a page / maintain the website.

Improve this document

This is an approved document. We invite you to improve it by adding your comments below. Note that this is a key planning document, we might not touch it during the production phase of each release. Only the maintainers of this document can approve changes to it.

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