About Page for 6.5 Release

[laurlittle]

This ticket will serve as a hub for the discussion, planning, design, and other related work for creating the WordPress 6.5 About page.

Anyone involved in the release is invited to follow this ticket as part of their release-related duties and offer their input.

[laurlittle]

Since this is a very cross-functional piece of the release, I want to make sure the following dates make sense for folks:

About page content ready: February 14 (with a first draft in review between Feb 6-8)
About page design ready for review: February 21
About page complete: February 27 (coinciding with Beta 3)

@ryelle - Does this timing feel appropriate?
@richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica - Assuming we can leverage an existing About page template, does this work for you?

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle That should work. All we need now is a final decision on our design direction. At the moment we have to create the feature grids. Depending on which design we agree on, we can take the next steps.

[richtabor]

Yes, that seems doable. Let’s plan on using the same established layout from the 6.3 about page layout. We can pull designs from the highlight grid into standalone items based on what content should have imagery.

[laurlittle]

@richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica Wanted to give you an update that the About page is in progress. It should be ready for content review tomorrow, but I wanted to share where things are at so that design can work concurrently. Here is the document, currently closed for feedback as it's still a work in progress: ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YQ7IMQ1n1oyymMvlpM1QVqC-E2Nl3J-_ZQvKSYSL1dM/edit?usp=sharing

A couple things to note:

• Almost all the "major highlights" are included in the doc, these were written with the larger spaces in mind (looking at ​6.3 Figma as a reference)
• The current order of highlights is very much subject to change

Based on the proposed timeline above, do y'all think a first round of design is still feasible for February 21 if a first draft of copy is ready tomorrow?

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

Hello @laurlittle :) I have scheduled plenty of time for the next few days. I assume that @richtabor and I will design some suggestions and then we want to get feedback from the design team. It looks feasible to me. Please let us know as soon as the content is final from the marketing side. Then we can also consider the content in our design. The deadline should fit. At least from my perspective.

[laurlittle]

Replying to Benjamin_Zekavica:

Hello @laurlittle :) I have scheduled plenty of time for the next few days. I assume that @richtabor and I will design some suggestions and then we want to get feedback from the design team. It looks feasible to me. Please let us know as soon as the content is final from the marketing side. Then we can also consider the content in our design. The deadline should fit. At least from my perspective.

Thanks @Benjamin_Zekavica! ​The About page has initial copy ready and will be shared for review with release leads and marketing today. I do think it's in good enough shape, however, to give you and @richtabor something to start working from.

For visibility in terms of timeline:

• Feedback is being requested by February 20.
• A revised and close-to-final draft will be ready by February 21 (ideally, along with some initial designs?)
• About page complete by Beta 3 (February 27)

I think there's a little bit of wiggle room there, as the final final commit of the About page happens by RC1 (March 5). @ryelle Can you confirm that this makes sense from a development perspective?

[ryelle]

I'd prefer to be firmer with those deadlines— to have a ready-to-build design by the 21st, so that there's time to build & commit it by the 26th (so that I don't hold up the beta). We can iterate on it once it's in code, and we'll probably get more feedback during beta 3 anyway.

Edit to clarify: "Ready to build" means a content layout, the feature images can be placeholders until RC.

there's a little bit of wiggle room there

This is true, but I'd rather the initial commit happen in beta3. We can make content & layout tweaks until RC1 (things that change strings), and usually commit the final images during the RC cycle.

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle I added now four Designs to the Figma About Page for 6.5. In my opinion I would prefer a modern and clean design. For example Design 4.

[laurlittle]

Replying to ryelle:

I'd prefer to be firmer with those deadlines— to have a ready-to-build design by the 21st, so that there's time to build & commit it by the 26th (so that I don't hold up the beta). We can iterate on it once it's in code, and we'll probably get more feedback during beta 3 anyway.

Edit to clarify: "Ready to build" means a content layout, the feature images can be placeholders until RC.

there's a little bit of wiggle room there

This is true, but I'd rather the initial commit happen in beta3. We can make content & layout tweaks until RC1 (things that change strings), and usually commit the final images during the RC cycle.

Thanks for confirming and clarifying all this, Kelly! It sounds like we can make this happen.

Here's the Figma link to the design work: ​https://www.figma.com/file/IGwRMs64Hzr9busD7EkbEm/About-Page-6.5?type=design&node-id=130-7243&mode=design&t=f2YldLwAJ76ugqKP-0

@Benjamin_Zekavica @richtabor Thanks for keeping this rolling. I just need some confirmation on which design to share feedback on. It looks like you've already narrowed down which version is the "one".

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle I think currently you can add your feedback to the first Design. The Headline: Final|Current

I cleaned it up because we had too many ideas and examples :D

[laurlittle]

@Benjamin_Zekavica @richtabor The ​About page copy draft is just about cleaned up (just a couple words here and there). There have been copy changes/additions since you've flowed them into the design, so I suggest reflowing all the content whenever you have a chance.

The content order has also been adjusted based on the latest layout direction in ​Figma (labeled i6).

[richtabor]

Here's the proposed about page design, with recent copy edits applied.

[laurlittle]

Thanks @richtabor! The ​content draft is up to date to match the designs. I noticed the 6.5 Release Notes header was missing an edit, so I've fixed that in Figma already. (FYI @ryelle)

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle @richtabor Thank you for your efforts :) Currently, I don't agree with the design. While I'm fine with the grids, I miss the colors and header. Joen suggested avoiding the Blueberry Color, as it's more aligned with Meta and WordPress colors. I initially chose the dark blue colors and circles for a unique touch to this release. Despite my admiration for Rich's design, it resembles WordPress websites too closely and seems too simple and grey for a distinctive release. Lauren, I recall your Figma comment expressing similar concerns.

I invested time to accommodate changes, but the design was altered without a clear final decision. In summary, we need a conclusive choice. Apologies for the lengthy message, but achieving a memorable and unique release is crucial for all of us.

[richtabor]

@Benjamin_Zekavica I believe we should lean this direction towards a result that is confidently WordPress for each release—rather than the stark branding of releases that are abstracted from WordPress as a brand.

This aesthetic leans towards an "unmistakably WordPress" feel, reminiscent of the 6.4 release micro-site (​https://wordpress.org/download/releases/6-4/), which was widely received; the caveats are with the constraints and nuances of the WordPress admin page. It's palatable, clear, effective, and allows the content connect well.

[Joen]

Appreciate all the design iterations that have gone in here.

As designers it's important for us to sometimes accept the fact that the best work we do is invisible, it communicates and conveys a purpose, and maybe it falls into the background as a result. This is especially the case with the highlight grid, which exists purely to showcase the features of a release, not to be a branding item on its own. This is also the case for the About page, whose primary goal is to convey what's new in a glancable form. Our task from design here is sometimes disappointing, it is simply to work on communicating these pieces.

To that end, there's nice work gone into the various sections highlighting each feature. The screenshots are compelling, the layout is clear, and there is no noise to distract.

There is room for flavor, to be sure, that flavor can also be minimalism. To that end, I would think the latest design shared works well, and also say thank you to Rich and Benjamin for their work here.

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@Joen @richtabor @laurlittle Thanks to all of you :) Because we don't have time and need a decision: I accept the Design and I think it's ready for development. @ryelle If you need something for the development, than Rich and me are here.

@laurlittle: Everything has been clarified. I think we can also make text adjustments later during development, right?

[laurlittle]

Replying to Benjamin_Zekavica:

@laurlittle: Everything has been clarified. I think we can also make text adjustments later during development, right?

I believe so based on what @ryelle outlined above:

We can make content & layout tweaks until RC1 (things that change strings), and usually commit the final images during the RC cycle.

Introducing the new content & design for the 6.5 About page & related pages. This style is simplified, with no header images, and brings back the illustrations from previous versions for Contribute, Freedoms, and Privacy.

This also includes a fix for heading hierarchy on the Get Involved page.

Screenshots

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/60303

@ryelle It looks good 👍 Good job

[ryelle]

I've got a PR up here: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/6182 — I'd appreciate a design & copy check before committing, and could I get a list of who was involved in copy & design? @laurlittle @richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica

Note: I left the images as placeholders for now, since content might still change & I wasn't sure if those were already the final images. It's easy enough to add those post beta3, though.

Replying to laurlittle:

Replying to Benjamin_Zekavica:

@laurlittle: Everything has been clarified. I think we can also make text adjustments later during development, right?

I believe so based on what @ryelle outlined above

We can make content changes this week, but by RC1 (next week) we need the content final (or only error correction). Images (the screenshots) can change during RC.

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

Replying to ryelle:

I've got a PR up here: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/6182 — I'd appreciate a design & copy check before committing, and could I get a list of who was involved in copy & design? @laurlittle @richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica

Note: I left the images as placeholders for now, since content might still change & I wasn't sure if those were already the final images. It's easy enough to add those post beta3, though.

Replying to laurlittle:

Replying to Benjamin_Zekavica:

@laurlittle: Everything has been clarified. I think we can also make text adjustments later during development, right?

I believe so based on what @ryelle outlined above

We can make content changes this week, but by RC1 (next week) we need the content final (or only error correction). Images (the screenshots) can change during RC.

---

For me it looks good :) @ryelle Thank you. What is the process for the images? Should we export them from Figma and send to you and you upload them to the WP server and integrate them, or would you prefer something else?

[ryelle]

Replying to Benjamin_Zekavica:

What is the process for the images? Should we export them from Figma and send to you and you upload them to the WP server and integrate them, or would you prefer something else?

When we're ready, I can export them from Figma myself. Then I'll optimize & convert them to webp, and upload them to the s.w.org CDN. Once the image is on the CDN, we can't update it, so this step is done at the end to make sure there will be no changes.

It looks very nice to me. You are doing very well. @ryelle

[laurlittle]

Replying to ryelle:

I've got a PR up here: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/6182 — I'd appreciate a design & copy check before committing, and could I get a list of who was involved in copy & design? @laurlittle @richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica

Thanks Kelly! Copy looks mostly good to me. I noticed the following:

• ...improvements to plugin experience section: I think I asked in the Figma comments if the "Requires Plugins" could be treated as inline code. Is that still possible? Or perhaps that's something that will only be seen once the page is committed?
• Field notes/Release notes section: The treatment in the PR is slightly different from the proposed Figma design. Just want to check if this was on purpose or an oversight.

For a list of who was involved, I can throw that at the bottom of the About page copy document shortly.

[laurlittle]

@ryelle Following up quickly on the above, the list of ​About page contributors is added to the About page copy doc. @richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica I referenced Figma for any additional design contributions. I'd appreciate a double-check there to make sure nobody has been forgotten. Thanks!

[ryelle]

Replying to laurlittle:

I think I asked in the Figma comments if the "Requires Plugins" could be treated as inline code. Is that still possible?

Totally, I just missed that when I copied the content over.

Field notes/Release notes section: The treatment in the PR is slightly different from the proposed Figma design.

Typically this section has not changed from release to release to prevent string churn (the links & version numbers are added in dynamically). I believe in 6.3 this layout was designed, but we decided to leave it as is - so maybe the figma was copied from that & not updated.

Thanks for collecting the contributors!

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@ryelle Perfect :) Thank you for the explanation. In my opinion the images are ready for publishing. @richtabor @laurlittle Do you also agree that it would be ready to publish the pictures on the CDN? Or have you found something else?

@laurlittle For me, it looks good :) Everything should be fine.

[ryelle]

In 57715:

Help/About: Update the About page for 6.5.

Introducing the new content & design for the 6.5 About page & related pages. This style is simplified, with no header images, and brings back the illustrations from previous versions for Contribute, Freedoms, and Privacy.

This also includes a fix for heading hierarchy on the Get Involved page.

Props laurlittle, dansoschin, benjamin_zekavica, richtabor, joen, annezazu, swissspidy, marybaum, ryelle, huzaifaalmesbah.
See #60303.

Committed in r57715.

[laurlittle]

Typically this section has not changed from release to release to prevent string churn (the links & version numbers are added in dynamically).

Thanks for clarifying @ryelle.

@Benjamin_Zekavica @richtabor I don't have any specific feedback on the images, so I defer to you on their readiness. :)

[richtabor]

Images look good to me.

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@richtabor Thank you :)

@laurlittle @ryelle 🎉🥳 It's ready for final export.
@ryelle Do you can upload it and embed it to the About page, please? Than I think we are ready.

[ryelle]

Aside from the images, is there any other feedback (on the layout, content, etc) we should address before RC1?

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@ryelle At the moment, everything is fine and final. I haven't received any change requests yet. :)

[laurlittle]

Replying to ryelle:

Aside from the images, is there any other feedback (on the layout, content, etc) we should address before RC1?

I think we're just missing a link to the 6.5 Field Guide, which I've asked about for RC1. I'll follow up on Monday if there's any movement there.

I'm not sure what's happening with the Front Library (whether it's being punted or not), so that may also be something that will need updating. I'll check in on Monday on that as well.

Aside from those potential edits, I haven't received nor seen any particular feedback roll in.

Additionally, this fixes a few missed apostrophes in the page content.

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/60303

[ryelle]

I've uploaded the images and added them in ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/6220 (see a screenshot at the link/above).

@laurlittle Have there been any updates on whether the content needs to change?

@ryelle It looks amazing :) Thank you

[laurlittle]

Replying to ryelle:

@laurlittle Have there been any updates on whether the content needs to change?

Thanks Kelly! I did check in with the release squad earlier and ​there aren't any updates for content yet. Seems discussions are still ongoing. I'll keep an eye out in my evening in case that changes.

[ryelle]

In 57767:

Help/About: Add images to the About page.

The images have been uploaded to the w.org CDN and added into the About page. Additionally, two unencoded apostrophes have been replaced in strings.

Props benjamin_zekavica, richtabor, laurlittle.
See #60303.

Committed in r57767

[ryelle]

Okay, I've added the images, this is good to go for RC1 (unless there are any last-minute content changes).

[laurlittle]

Sharing for transparency that the ​decision on Font Library has been escalated to project leadership, so no updates yet. It does look like we'll know before RC2 though, FYI @ryelle.

[laurlittle]

Content Update: Based on ​recent news, the Font Library is still set to release in 6.5. Pattern Overrides, however, are being removed and pushed to 6.6 (or another subsequent release).

@richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica If we flip the image and text for Style Revisions in the About page layout, is it safe to assume that the Pattern Overrides can be removed without issue from a design perspective?

@ryelle Aside from this content update (removing Pattern Overrides), I think the only remaining outstanding content piece is the link to the 6.5 Field Guide. This should likely be ready before RC2, so I'll supply it as soon as it's ready. The Docs leads were waiting on the outcome of the Font Library/Overrides discussions.

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle That shouldn't be a problem. I'll adjust it in the design today, and then @ryelle can change it in the code :)

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@laurlittle @ryelle Here a new version without the Pattern Override Feature.

[richtabor]

@richtabor @Benjamin_Zekavica If we flip the image and text for Style Revisions in the About page layout, is it safe to assume that the Pattern Overrides can be removed without issue from a design perspective?

Yup, works for me too.

[ryelle]

For some reason it's not commenting here, but I've added a ​PR for the latest changes. This removes the "pattern overrides" section, and adds in https://make.wordpress.org/core/wordpress-6-5-field-guide/ for the Field Guide link (saw it confirmed in the release leads channel, but we can change that if we need to).

Is that everything that needs to change before RC2?

[Benjamin_Zekavica]

@ryelle I think currently we don't have any changes. @laurlittle Do you have some content changes or?

[ryelle]

Okay, sounds like we're good with this PR then. I'm off for the evening already, but should be back shortly before commit freeze if no one else can commit before then. ​The PR will still need a second committer approval since we're in RC.

[audrasjb]

Hello, I left a comment in the PR to add the second committer review. Looks good to me.
I'll keep an eye on it to ensure it's committed before commit freeze if you're unavailable :)

[audrasjb]

Ok I going to commit it right now so we're all set up for the commit freeze :)

[audrasjb]

In 57809:

Help/About: Update the About page for WP 6.5 RC2.

This changeset removes the "Pattern overrides" section from features.
Also updates the field guide link, this link should redirect correctly once the post is published.

Follow-up to [57715], [57767].

Props ryelle, benjamin_zekavica.
See #60303.

[audrasjb]

In 57810:

Help/About: Update the About page for WP 6.5 RC2.

This changeset removes the "Pattern overrides" section from features.
Also updates the field guide link, this link should redirect correctly once the post is published.

Follow-up to [57715], [57767].

Reviewed by audrasjb.
Merges [57809] to the to the 6.5 branch.

Props ryelle, benjamin_zekavica, richtabor, laurlittle.
See #60303.

Committed in https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57809 and backported in https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57810

We're in string freeze, so not sure we wanna make an exception this so close to the release.

So maybe we won't end up making this change at all.

Props @presskopp

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/60303

[laurlittle]

Thanks @audrasjb! The Field Guide link was the only other outstanding thing, which you've got covered in the commit. Looks like we're all set here.

[swissspidy]

In 57817:

Help/About: Update the About page for WP 6.5 RC2.

Updates a translatable string to use a placeholder for the “Requires Plugins” string used in it.

Props swissspidy, sergeybiryukov, presskopp.
See #60303.

Trunk commit: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57817

Needs backporting to the 6.5 branch.

[audrasjb]

In 57818:

Help/About: Update the About page for WP 6.5 RC2.

Updates a translatable string to use a placeholder for the “Requires Plugins” string used in it.

Reviewed by audrasjb.
Merges [57817] to the to the 6.5 branch.

Props swissspidy, sergeybiryukov, presskopp.
See #60303.

Backport: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57818

[laurlittle]

There've been a few small copy changes to the About page, hoping it's not too late to squeeze these in.

They're all highlighted in yellow in the ​About page draft document. Changes can be found in the following sections:

• Font Library (a.k.a. Add and manage fonts.....)
• Data Views
• Performance updates

I believe @ryelle is unavailable this week, so hoping @audrasjb might be able to help (or anyone else who's got the power).

Let me know if there are any questions!

[swissspidy]

With the release candidate phase we also entered string freeze, which means the strings of the upcoming release are frozen and must not be changed anymore — including the About page. This is to allow the Polyglots team time to get their translations ready in time for release.

Exceptions are sometimes possible but usually only for very strong reasons. So can you perhaps elaborate a bit on these changes and why the changes are absolutely necessary?

[laurlittle]

which means the strings of the upcoming release are frozen and must not be changed anymore — including the About page.

Thanks for clarifying this @swissspidy. I must've misunderstood somewhere regarding About page copy changes.

Between the three changes, there's only one that's an actual factual correction and that's the change related to the performance updates. ​This comment on the highlight grid tracking issue can provide more context.

The other two edits are not factual errors, just messaging clarifications that would be helpful. That being said, they'll be addressed in the /News announcement and the microsite, so the only concern would be lack of consistency (and possibly minor confusion for some readers).

I'm not sure what the readership of the About page vs. /News is, so the factual error feels like an important thing to fix. The others probably not (unless they can be changed post-release at some point).

• Correct performance metrics, according to ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/58028#issuecomment-2007633881
• Clarify that the Font Library is for block themes
• Edit the paragraph about Data Views

I also added a lang attribute and set the code element to inherit font-size because 13px bothered me.

Trac 60303

[sabernhardt]

It is probably too late for my non-string changes, let alone the new strings, but I created a patch now to consider any of them.

I think the Data Views paragraph should remain unchanged.

Clarifying that the Font Library is for block themes could help answer the question "Why don't I have this?" I should also suggest the possibility of removing the entire section about the Font Library because removing the feature was still ​mentioned as an option yesterday.

[swissspidy]

Thanks for the PR. A diff view is very helpful to better understand the changes.

The factual error is unfortunate, but because of string freeze I'm really hesitant to change it. And definitely against making that many string changes.

We may be able to make the non-string changes, those look reasonable.

@davidbaumwald @SergeyBiryukov what are your thoughts?

[SergeyBiryukov]

Personally, I'm OK with including the proposed changes here if these are final edits. We can use the i18n-change keyword to let the Polyglots team know about the updates after the string freeze.

​PR #6302 looks good to me.

[laurlittle]

if these are final edits.

Unless the Font Library is, in fact, removed from this release, these are final edits.

[huzaifaalmesbah]

The updates in ​PR 6302, especially to the About page, look fantastic. They're a job well done.

[swissspidy]

In 57870:

Help/About: Update the About page for 6.5.

Updates the font size for <code> tags and updates several translatable strings.

Props sabernhardt, laurlittle, SergeyBiryukov.
See #60303.

[swissspidy]

This needs a second committer to sign-off the backporting to 6.5.

https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/57870

[davidbaumwald]

Looks good to backport to the 6.5 branch.

[swissspidy]

In 57872:

Help/About: Update the About page for 6.5.

Updates the font size for <code> tags and updates several translatable strings.

Reviewed by davidbaumwald.
Merges [57870] to the to the 6.5 branch.

Props sabernhardt, laurlittle, SergeyBiryukov.
See #60303.