CZ:Proposals/Enforce One Style for Professional Web Presence

Driver: David E. Volk

Complete explanation
Create and enforce a professional looking web presence with a fixed skin and elegant color scheme which is maintainable on all commonly used browsers. Fix all table and template box color schemes to a fixed set and style.

Reasoning
1) At present, our web presence is often quite amateurish in appearance on certain browsers and particularly with certain skin choices. Non-citizens may see a very much different looking pages then logged in users.

2) Our IT resources are limited, so that expecting them to maintain a quality image on multiple browsers and multiple skins is unrealistic.

3) Some colors look horrible together, and yet such color combinations often occur when certain templates are implemented.

4) Every CZ page with equations looks stupid because of the white rectangles under the equations on top of the skins fading colors.

5) Every professional website has a consistent color scheme with strict usage of only approved and complimentary colors.

6)The usage of certain colors, such as green, blue and red, are detrimental to the color blind. A number of websites detail sets of complimentary colors that are appropriate so that all people can differentiate the colors.

7) Simple things like text running out of its boundaries are frankly embarrassing. The fact that it took many months to fix it is worse yet.

8) All template-created tables should have a consistent design, fonts, bolding scheme and color scheme. Although each group can create their templates as to content, the overall style should be consistent and pleasing to the eye.

Implementation
1) Driver has asked for input on the forums.

2) One skin must be chosen based on consistency of look across platforms (PC, Mac, Unix) and browsers (Firefox, IE, Chrome, etc).

3) A fixed set of approved colors will be mandated as the only colors to choose from. This choice will be as kind to color-blind people as is practicable.

4) A committee of experienced users will be selected by either the Driver or the EC, as determined by the will of the EC, to create this set of standards.

5) The committee members, or IT people if needed, will update all templates to use the standard scheme.

6) A switch to a new mandatory skin must first pass 2 months of testing on all platforms and common browsers to be considered. The proposer of a new skin must provide documentation (screen shots) of the new skins from many browsers used on three platforms (PC, Mac, Unix).

= Discussion = Please feel free to add additional Implementation or Reasoning statements to the above sections if so inclined. David E. Volk 16:56, 1 November 2009 (UTC)