Web Hosting Manager - usability test
Here’s a walkthrough through the eyes of a newbie (i.e. me two weeks ago) trying to create a site.
Note: Ignore all the pre-created IDs for the sake of this walkthrough, they can’t be removed
Hmm … SAFE Hosting Manager? Oh well, I guess it’s probably the same thing.
OK, that all makes sense, create a public Id - maybe ID should be capitalised though.
So now what? Ah, perhaps I click that Tick icon? Nope, that means connected. I would use a green dot or a plug symbol for that. In Excel and other apps a tick is what you click when you’re done.
Right, create a service. Hang on, what’s a service? A website? And why is that button blue on white rather than white on blue? Is it active? Ah well, I guess I’ll find out.
What in the name of the Merry Irvine is this? What the hell is a container and why would I want to map one? What is root? Last time I heard that word was just before a mate bricked his phone. Now I’m scared. OK, be brave, type in a name go with the default option (Note: not sure if this is actually the default for a new user, but still)
What now? I don’t like the look of that weird-looking link beginning with the underscore. Perhaps I need to click on the newsite link? Well that looks like a road to nowhere , weird-looking link it is then.
OK I’ve created my service, whatever that is, and uploaded my website folder. Lets see what happens if I browse to newsite.jpl2 - nope, that site doesn’t work - it exits to clearnet brower with ‘DNS can’t be found’ error.
Tell you what, I’ll delete this service and go back a few steps and try the newsite-root option.
OK site uploaded - let’s try again.
Hallelujah!
I realise the immediate goal is to get things working, but I must say I found the old demo-app a lot more intuitive and easier to use.
Recommendations:
- Instead of ‘service’ (techie word) use ‘website or folder’
- Instead of ‘container’ user ‘folder’, ‘storage area’ … something more standard (not sure if either of those options fit the bill TBH).
- Hide the mapping option on separate page (e.g. reachable through an ‘Advanced options’ link) - make the default option the creation of a new website using a new container.
- Make the newsite link (in my example) a link to the file management page, where you upload and download files)
- Add some dialogue about the website folder needing an index.html file, and how to access the website once it’s been uploaded.
- Add some dialogue about mapping / remapping, how and why. I still don’t really understand this.
- Add some dialogue about public and private storage (can we actually store private files using the Web Hosting Manager? I couldn’t work out how to do it.)