[EuroPython] Web site wonderings

[Michael Hudson]

Laura Creighton <lac at strakt.com> writes:

> The level of resentment I experience when I have to make a password to
> do something I want is so intense that I often decide it's not worth it.

For heaven's sake, people are going to be typing their credit card
numbers into this site!  So long as we are careful to make the process
of going from visiting the site for the first time to being a paid up
comfirmed conference attendee painless and *obvious* I don't think
this is a big deal.

So we have a link "Register for the Conference".  If the user is not
registered for the site, they get directed to a page saying "please
enter some details here or log in", then on to the (con) registration
page.  If they are already logged in to the site, they proceed
straight to the latter page.

I was under the impression that the webwerkers had this in hand (many
websites work this way).

> In the case of conferences, it means that I either won't go or just show
> up.  I don't know how many people resent passwords as much as I do;
> many people do not care because they save them all on their laptops, and
> figure if they lose their laptop, their life is over anyway, so <shrug> :-)

I just use the same password a lot...

> We have several things we want people to be able to do:
>
> indicate that they are coming
>
> indicate food allergies & vegetarian status
>
> pay for the conference
>
> sign up for a sprint 
>
> sign up for a tutorial

These ^

> submit a tutorial
>
> submit a talk
>
> submit a referred paper

and these ^ are somewhat unrelated, i.e. I'd have thought people would
be unlikely to do them at the same time.

> pay for the conference
>
> reserve rooms through us at SGS bostäder -- also for their families and
>    other significant people they are bringing

these are back in the first category again.

> Each one of these needs to be a form, or part of a form, and when you
> fill it out, and hit submit, you are _done_.  I don't want them to
> have to log in in addition to all of the above.  That is just
> irritating.  

Well, they are going to have to tell us who they are for any of the
above actions to make much sense!

> Logins, in my opinion, are for people who want to participate in the
> creation of the website, not for people who just want to use the
> thing..

I think you may be on the losing side of that website design argument
(globally, I mean, not just in relation to the epc site).

Cheers,
mwh

-- 
  Finding a needle in a haystack is a lot easier if you burn down
  the haystack and scan the ashes with a metal detector.
      -- the Silicon Valley Tarot (another one nicked from David Rush)