At what point is the work on the UX of the Django website

20tab has always been involved in the Open-Source world and is an integral part of the Django community. Currently, we are working on improving the UX of the djangoproject.com website.

Here's where we are and what the next steps will be.

Phase 1: Analysis and heuristic evaluation

During DjangoCon US 2022, the Django Software Foundation asked for our help in improving the User eXperience on the Django project website, a crucial hub for all contributors and community members.

20tab immediately responded by establishing an action plan that started with the study and analysis of the current situation to understand the problems and find the best solutions.

In the first phase of work, an analysis of the site and an accessibility check were carried out, complemented by a heuristic evaluation.

This led to the need to work on information architecture, user experience, accessibility, and branding, elements that would facilitate contribution and user engagement on the site and in the project overall.

Phase 2: User research

The second phase was based on listening to the site's users. A survey, titled "Help us make the djangoproject.com website better", was distributed in the community to analyze the main issues faced by frequent platform users and their desires for making navigation and information retrieval easier and more enjoyable.

Over 500 people responded to the survey, which was presented during conferences and community communication channels.

Analysis of the feedback revealed that the most critical points were related to the interface, information architecture and navigation in general. The results were in line with the initial hypotheses.

Phase 3: Interviews

We have now moved on to the third phase of studying and listening to users, the interviews. The goal is to discover how to improve aesthetics, content and flow of the site.

We selected users who responded to the survey and were willing to assist with the research. Selection criteria included:

• Frequent use of the site
• Spending more than 5 minutes in each session
• Difficulty finding information
• Identifying areas for improvement

The interview focuses on interest in the aesthetic aspect and accessibility, the perception of flow simplicity, and content quality. We expect to gather useful and more in-depth insights to improve the site.

The interviews are currently underway and started with an internal dry-run involving some members of our team who are also Django users. The goal is to conclude this phase by 2023 and then decide on the next steps to take in 2024 in collaboration with the DSF.

Here is the next step of work for Django Software Foundation.