[meta-issue] Overhaul of Information Architecture

Prior discussion is in #510110: IA : Configuration & Module but we need to focus on one page per issue, so let's talk categories for config page here.

Please be aware of this issue: #551070: [meta-issue] IA broken when toolbar.module not enabled

don't forget that the IA needs to work perfectly on lean core too!

There is also the site information issue which would have established the "Site administration" category, but apparently there were different plans(?!). Maybe we can repurpose that with the proper category name and get a patch going there too.

The following are still outstanding just under the "Site configuration" container. On a fresh checkout:

Actions
Aggregator
Blog API
Clean URLs
Contact form
File uploads
IP address blocking
RSS publishing
Search settings
Site information
Statistics
Text formats
Updates
URL aliases

In #552958: Configuration page: Regional & Language category (including rename of international category)
Regional settings

In #549432: Configuration page: People & permissions:
Permissions
Profiles
Roles
Users

Above list was created with all core modules enabled.

Great! We're getting there. Some easy ones:

File uploads: Move to Media.
IP address blocking: Move to People & Permissions.

It's looking like we need some kind of "System" category for things like:
Actions
Site information
Updates
Clean URLs (maybe?)

I guess this would turn into our current "Site configuration" dumping ground, but hopefully not too many people would cram their links there anymore now that we have more representative categories.

I suggested something like "Import/Export" for:
Aggregator
Blog API
RSS publishing

Others like Feed API, Backup & Migrate, Table Wizard, etc. could fit nicely here. And these modules tend to be "scary" so it might not be a bad thing for the category title to reflect this.

That leaves:
Contact form
Search settings
Statistics
Text formats
URL aliases (maybe?)

#556174: Move 'enable for new users' under Users and
#556192: Remove the UI for 'hourly treshold', replace with a sensible default
Relocate one setting, remove another and we get rid of the seperate admin page for the contact form all together.

+1 for the Import/Export category!

I would suggest "Site Information" as a category, which consists of
Site information -> needs to be looked after, renamed or mabye split (user registration to user category etc.)
Updates
Statistics
Clean URLs

I would say these needs to be in something like "Content Setting" (or somewhere else.)
Text formats
Search settings
URL aliases

Actions should be kept together with workflow!

#557792: Configuration page: Web services category for Blog API, RSS publishing, Aggregator and friends

#557890: Configuration page: 'Search and metadata' category

We're down to this now:

Hard to categorize, probably 'system something':
* Actions
* Contact form (meh)
* Site information

Content authoring?
* Text formats
(WYSIWYG editors etc)

Make these tabs on their respective forms:
* Updates

Oddball:
* Reports

Move to People & permissions
* IP address blocking (handled in #549432: Configuration page: People & permissions

Move to Structure:
* URL aliases

Updates is a system something isn't it? :)

Ok #557890: Configuration page: 'Search and metadata' category is in and @webchick suggests we discuss the placement of URL aliases within the existing issue at #506124: Moving URL Aliases out of Site configuration. I'd say if the have clean URLs and pathauto in "Search and metadata", it makes no sense to have the manual URL aliases elsewhere.

#557792: Configuration page: Web services category is also partially committed (aggregator established the category), so it would be good to shuffle the above into their right categories and get those in too.

Ok, we are down to these items now being uncategorized:

• Actions
• Contact form
• Performance
• Site information
• Statistics
• Text formats
• Updates
• URL aliases

Current state of categorization with only core modules but all of them enabled looks like this (click for bigger version):

Performance is now at both places due to a hunk not being committed to remove it from its original place. http://drupal.org/node/546878#comment-1966468

Ps. the strange looks of the configure tab I cannot reproduce visually myself, but my big screenshot app (Paparazzi) seems to shot the image with this. Huh. I've been trying to reproduce this for quite some time now.

So we are down to these:

- Actions
- Contact form
- Site information
- Statistics
- Text formats
- Updates
- URL aliases

Let's figure this out already! :)

Here's my take on some of these based on recent discussions (but not reflecting anyone else's views necessarily).

Updates - move to a tab on admin/reports/updates - that's where it is in D6 and I'm not sure why it was moved, I think 1-1 settings should be tabs (like menu settings) to keep things together - especially now we don't have a single place to view all pages.

Text formats - we need some kind of 'Text formatting' / 'Content authoring' category where this + wysiwyg + markupitup editors can live.

Per-user contact forms - move to hook_form_alter() on user settings similar to how user pictures is done. The contact threshold should be a hidden variable since chances of changing that are slim.

URL Aliases - move to structure, they're as much structure as menus, and as frequently visited.

Actions - no idea.

Statistics - no idea.

Site information - custom 403/404 should be moved to errors and logging settings page. Site name / mission / front page maybe move to a tab on appearance. Or even just move the whole thing to a tab on appearance.

Why is nobody commenting on my note to move "URL aliases" to where other URL settings are, under Search and metadata. Pathauto is also suggested to be put there.

Sorry, I'd be fine with 'URL aliases' under search and metadata too, bit of an even toss-up between there and structure IMO.

K, let's do it. :P I can always move it around on my own site. ;)

#560502: Configuration page: 'Content authoring' category

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Added rollback patch on #297207: Move update notification settings.

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Thinking about moving site information to Apperance as catch suggested. While some of the items make sense there (and could be moved into the general appearance settings), not all of them are:

Site name (OK)
Site e-mail (erm, no)
Slogan (OK)
Default front page (OK)
Number of posts on FP (OK)
Error pages (can go to error settings)
Integrated poormanscron (erm, no)

So looks like we have settings that could go to the error page, but we still have two which are not at all appearance.

----
On the contact form, the contact module already adds an item under Structure, where you can define the options for the site form. Given the reistance to remove the threshold settings, we can move the settings under there, like Menus already are and Update module will be after the above patch. Keeping a separate tab for one treshold setting sounds like a bit odd, but given Dries' resistance, we might be able to go that way.

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On the URL aliases, I've reopened the URL aliases issue as webchick suggested, so a patch is available at http://drupal.org/node/506124#comment-1975394 under #506124: Moving URL Aliases out of Site configuration.

subscribing. Definitely need an updated IA. :-)

Given resistance to remove contact form options, settings moved back to a tab under the contact categories: #564576: D7UX IA: Roll back contact module settings page tab.

Idea about statistics: split up error reporting and logging.

admin/config/development/errors = "Error handling"

admin/config/system/logging = "Event logging" or "Logging and Statitics" or something = move statistics here.

Bojhan opened #564562: Configuration page: System category.

I just created #567418: Move blocks page into appearance

Some other issues (not sure if they are duplicate or not):

#560118: Better support for reduced-permissions users

#560100: UX: Misplaced Performance and Site Configuration Menu Items

Let's work on this page some more. Though User Testing would have to target it directly, there are some very simple yet effective measures. Let's tackle the following

1. Reorder Category blocks by frequency of usage (and include this order in install profile, if possible. Since the "minimal" is meant to adress developers, who use this page in a completely different way)

2. Create a realistic view of the page, including at least 30+ of the top modules
Our current view of a default is nice, clean and scannable. Yet, alas... Hardly anyone will ever view it that way for longer than a few days. Let's drop in all the stuff, see if it is still scannable, and if not, find solutions. Separation system/contrib? Other Hierarchy?

3. maybe Rethink a soft iconizing, as with descriptions on and a myriad of modules the eye will like some orientation. I don't dare to propose the collapsing again... Sure the icons should not be as crappy and high-res-heavy colored as in my old concept http://auweia.org/test/admin-ia-1/ (this is a clickable prototype that includes the top 30 modules) but maybe rather like on the proposed Modules page Opreations links: http://drupal.org/files/issues/598758-module_admin-tasks_103.png

As for task 1, here is my proposal for the 80% user, Install profile default. I reckon the blocks most in focus are the first three on the left side and the top one on the right. My choice of putting media first may be personal and due to the fact that in the catacombs of drupal there are still people from a 4.7 install that desperately trying to upload their freakin' image.... Still this may be solved with story hopefully getting an imagefield by default in the default install profile. Devs don't worry: the last element gets way more focus than some in the middle on the right side...