[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #25550: Twenty Fourteen: implement an alternate "slider" view for home page featured content

[WordPress Trac]

#25550: Twenty Fourteen: implement an alternate "slider" view for home page
featured content
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 Reporter:  lancewillett   |       Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)   |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal         |   Milestone:  3.8
Component:  Bundled Theme  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal         |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch    |
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Comment (by lancewillett):

 I've been listening to all the warning voices saying "ZOMG, SLIDERS ARE
 EVIL."

 Two replies for you. :D

 '''First:''' http://halfelf.org/wp-
 content/uploads/sites/2/2012/05/jorbin_gonna_hate.jpg :)

 It's fashionable to hate on sliders right now, including but not limited
 to:

 - http://weedygarden.net/2013/01/carousel-stats/
 - http://www.nngroup.com/articles/auto-forwarding/
 - http://shouldiuseacarousel.com/

 '''Second:''' Why is it important to include a slider in Twenty Fourteen?
 Here's a bit more background on this feature.

 @photomatt, the lead for 3.8 release and Twenty Fourteen, set this feature
 in motion during WCSF 2013 in the State of the Word. Naturally he's read
 all the articles and understood the reasons.

 Though many of us might feel it's a kitschy feature -- and despite what
 experts think of sliders in general -- the fact is lots of folks want
 them. There are cases where the content in a slider doesn't need to
 "convert" or "perform well." It can simply be a nicer way to show content,
 especially photos.

 Because core WordPress development operates outside of commercial
 constraints, this is potentially one area where we have ignored what
 regular users are asking for. What they use now on their sites isn't
 always the best experience and often feels hacky. Just look at a typical
 premium magazine theme to see the difficulty for the average user to make
 it decent-looking; often a lot of image manipulation and content tweaking
 is required.

 Building this featured into a default theme is a way for users to get
 something they're asking for, but with a much better experience -- and for
 theme designers to see a better way to build it.

 On the Twenty Fourteen front page the slider won't be the default view
 since the grid layout of featured posts would generally be more effective
 for a magazine-style site. For the alternate slider layout we are
 targeting a more decorative use rather than being conversion focused. By
 having an option in the theme, the author is free to choose.

 Equally important is educating our users on when it’s best to use slider.
 For example, if the site content is primarily text-driven and visitors
 should be able to quickly scan and read all the featured content -- we'll
 recommend using the default grid layout. If a more photo-driven and
 decorative layout is desired, the slider would be the more effective
 choice.

 Additionally, the anti-slider trend seems to ignore ever-growing mobile
 usage ... a slider is a more intuitive and common interaction on touch
 devices.

 I hope that helps explain why we're pursuing this feature. Feel free to
 chime in or sound off in a comment, on Twitter, IRC, or the communication
 channel of your choice.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/25550#comment:2>
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