DrupalCon DC - Design & Usability

How to kill Blue Marine: new core themes for Drupal 7

JohnAlbin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:40:59 +0000

Abstract:

Drupal 6 has a new theming layer that is wonderfully flexible and cool. And, yet, the themes that come bundled with Drupal 6 are the same old, boring ones we’ve had for a very long time.

But now we have a plan! We’ve outlined the steps we need to take in order to kill Blue Marine. During this session, we’ll present the current state of our plan, outline the quick steps we’ll need to make Drupal easier to theme, and discuss how to engage the larger CSS and Design community.

Presenters:

John Albin

Agenda

The current project plan is available in the Community Initiatives section of drupal.org.

Typography and Layout on the Web

kkaefer — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:57:30 +0000

Abstract:

While typography is not specifically related to Drupal, it is a topic that is often treated stepmotherly by webdesigners. This session tries to give a basic introduction to typography in general and point out why it is important to respect some rules. It also shows you how you can achieve good typography and clear layout on web pages leveraging all kinds of technologies supported by modern browsers.

Presenters:

Konstantin Käfer

Even on the web typography is not a relic of the past but a very important factor in communication with the site visitor. Typography for the web is even a lot more difficult than for print design due to the limited tools available. However, there are still some ways to ensure a good typography.

Agenda

Introduction to typography
Typography and the web
Layout and typography

Learning jQuery UI

rdworth — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract:

jQuery UI, built on top of jQuery, is a complete set of behaviors and components that can be used in building Rich Internet Applications. Behaviors and components included in jQuery UI include drag-and-drop, resizing, mouse-sorting, mouse-selecting (click-select, shift-select, ctrl-select, lasso select), dialogs, sliders, tabs, trees, grids, toolbars and menus.

Presenters:

Richard Worth

Each component adheres to a consistent standard across API, design, behavior and theming. This minimizes the surprise and makes learning all of them as easy as learning one. Just as with jQuery, there is a plugin system in jQuery UI that allows users to easily modify/extend existing components, as well as create your own.

Usability of Drupal 7 & The Future

Bojhan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:50:16 +0000

Abstract:

The level of complexity in the Drupal administrative interface is increasing, as we are adding new features every core release and modules keep changing more we are faced with a lot of new challenges. We will take a look at what happened with the usability team and how we intend to move forward on all areas of drupal's user experience.

Presenters:

Bojhan Somers

Agenda

This will be follow up on Usability Testing University of Baltimore.

Mostly Q/A of the session before

Limitations of the Drupal theme layer

yhahn — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:56:45 +0000

Abstract:

With the release of Drupal 6, phptemplate put a triumphant end to any alternative templating systems in Drupal. We've reached the holy grail of theming -- all that remains is to replace in-code theme() functions with preprocess hooks and churn out hundreds of template files, right?

Not so fast. In this session I will argue that the Drupal community needs to keep its eye on the ball -- true separation of data from presentation -- and argue why there is still more underlying work to be done.

Presenters:

Young Hahn

Part 1. Three errors designers make in their mockups because Drupal's theme system just can't do them well.

moving something out of its vertical theming stack (why can't the node links be in the sidebar?)
changing the formatting of a core element (why can't that blog archive block be a dropdown?)

Advanced Theming Techniques

trevortwining — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:59:45 +0000

Abstract:

CivicActions themers Trevor Twining and Bevan Rudge will help novice themers get up the learning curve and on their way to creating great, professional looking sites by demonstrating advanced theming tools, tips and techniques.

The session will have a lot of time of for Q&A and include code samples and examples to take home. Spot prize; copies of "Drupal 6 Themes" by Ric Shreeves.

Presenters:

Trevor Twining

Slides

Here's the link to the slides from Google Docs

Audience

To get the most out of the session attendees should;

have previously created or customized a Drupal theme
be able to write HTML and CSS
have worked with template (*.tpl.php) files

Usability testing at the University of Baltimore

catch — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:38:56 +0000

Abstract:

A report back from the third round of formal usability testing of Drupal core - held at the University of Baltimore, a week before Drupalcon DC.

We'll give an overview of the state of usability in Drupal core, see where improvements have been made, where there's still work to be done. Building on the lessons learned from previous testing at UB and the University of Minnesota.

Presenters:

Addison Berry
Becca Scollen
Brad Bowman
Bojhan Somers
Matt Tucker
Nathaniel Catchpole

Agenda

jQuery

dmitrig01 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:47:01 +0000

Abstract:

jQuery is a state of the art JavaScript framework, that Drupal uses. jQuery focuses on extensibility, flexibility, terse code, and ease of use, all of which align very well with the goals of Drupal. This session will give an introductory view on this key part of the Drupal User Interface.

Presenters:

Dmitri Gaskin

Agenda

jQuery: what and why?
Selectors: finding stuff
Traversals: traversing stuff
Manipulation: what do you expect?
Effects: ooh, pretty
Integration with Drupal, from the standpoint of a module builder.

Goals

People should come away from the session feeling like they can start the next Javascript-powered User Interface cliché.

Resources

Building a Frankenstein monster & how to maintain it

mortendk — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:11:17 +0000

Abstract:

Theres different ways of creating your badass & unique theme in drupal, from the "hey just clean it up in the css", to the "ill rewrite the hole thing goddammit!" This session will focus on the middle way. by using the "best theming practices" throwing in your own cutting edge front end style, and mixing it up with a bit of hard work it will be alive

Presenters:

Morten Heide

Agenda

style police - absolute style control
Tuning that motorcycle and the zen engine
no my way! - rewriting the stuff you want
building on the shoulders of giants
maintaining headaches & documentation
so can this be shared - and how ?

Goals

More power to the themers
Knowledge of how to combine frontend techniques

The Themer's Toolkit

emmajane — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:32:07 +0000

Abstract:

Video at http://www.archive.org/details/DrupalconDc2009-TheThemersToolkit

The tools available to Drupal 6 themers are amazing! Come learn about base themes, must-have modules, browser-based tools you can't live without and get a gentle introduction on how to convert Drupal 5 themes to Drupal 6. Woo!

Presenters:

Emma Jane Hogbin

Agenda

This is an introductory session and will touch on the following topics:

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Drupal terminology and concepts

Must-have modules (Views, CCK, The Developer's Module)

Browser-based tools (Firebug and browser cams)

Technical language (and Drupal) references

Base themes

Converting Drupal 5 themes to Drupal 6