User research on the Django website: the results

After the analysis and the survey, the user interview phase has been completed. Here are the results of the user research conducted by 20tab on the Django website, on behalf of the Django Software Foundation.

Talking to users

In the first update on this interesting topic for the Django community and for those who chew on user research, we arrived at 545 responses to the survey proposed through talks at technical conferences by members of the 20tab team.

The survey allowed us to gather the first important insights related to the accessibility and usability issues of the Django site, from which we started the third phase of research, based on interviews.

The insights gathered

From the total number of people who responded to the survey, those who met all the selection criteria set by the research were 16. We then conducted the semi-structured interviews, which allowed us to collect the most important and useful insights for further investigation:

• Information Architecture: Improving the structure of information, simplifying navigation, and providing tools such as a site map could help optimize the user experience in finding the desired information on djangoproject.com.
• Accessibility: Participants suggest that improving accessibility and providing a clear accessibility statement are essential steps to ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for all users.
• Aesthetics and Design: These users particularly appreciate the clarity and readability of the text, believing that the graphical appearance is acceptable for the context of Django documentation.
• Search Experience: Users use document search extensively, but the lack of an effective internal search tool and the preference for Google indicate opportunities for improvement and integration of Django's site search functionality.
• Content and Documentation: Users seek a combination of in-depth content, practical examples, and improvements in content presentation and usability, including the ability to contribute directly through changes to the repository.
• Learning Django: Users want a wide range of resources for learning Django, including books, video tutorials, and clear documentation, with a focus on simplifying access to information for less experienced users.
• Community Engagement: Users want a more dynamic and well-updated community, with greater visibility into events and improved linking and content sharing.
• Use of the Dark Mode: Dark Mode is a popular navigation mode, but users report functionality and color issues that require improvement to provide a better viewing experience.

What comes next

The work certainly does not end here: starting with these points of attention that emerged from a year of work, a number of activities are possible to further analyze each critical issue and identify opportunities for improvement and growth. The possible and highly recommended actions were included in the Report that 20tab submitted to the Django Software Foundation.

The Django community has a lot of insights and ideas to improve the usability of the site and, contextually, to make the community itself even more inclusive and open to diversity.

At 20tab we are very happy to have contributed to this work. We hope that this is a small step in that direction.