I facilitated a session at the Bay Area Drupal Camp (BADCamp). About 40-50 people had a good discussion around the usability in Drupal.
I recommend the discussion format for similar sessions because the biggest need is getting people involved. There are success stories around specific UI redesigns, such as projects on Drupal.org and the administration front page introduced in Drupal 5. However, the overall usability process and vision is still taking shape.
My main points included:
- There are a lot of job titles, such as information architect and graphic designer, loosely grouped with usability. Everyone has skills to bring.
- Getting UI designs done is conversation and consensus building. UI designers and developers need to work together to get UIs done.
- Drupal has three big usability projects:
- Administration and other interfaces in Drupal core
- Tools for module developers and site builders
- Drupal.org
- Establishing guidelines and standards is important.
Please post your notes and thoughts in comments here.