About Page - 6.2 Release

[jpantani]

This ticket will serve as a hub the discussion, planning, bug scrubs, design, and other related work surrounding the creation of the WordPress 6.2 release About page.

While the Marcomms Co-leads take a crucial role in driving its creation, the About Page involves the input of the multiple teams and the release squad in its entirety.

All teams involved in the release are invited to follow this ticket as part of their release-related duties and offer their input as well.

[jpantani]

This ticket is shared in Core between Lauren Stein, Mary Baum, Jonathan Pantani, and Rich Tabor.
It is expected that Dan Soschin will also play an advisory role during this release.

A shared folder for 6.2 about page and images has been set up. A link to this folder is located here and is publicly available to those with the link.
​https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-O2ri_HHPfoUtkRpBvMxoaP3A_E1Cwed

Here is a timeline for completing the About Page:

A general feedback period from now to Sunday, February 26 at 23:59 UTC.

Marketing and Communications will coordinate with Release Leads to make any final edits or recommendations after that time.

The document will be closed to changes Friday, March 3 at 23:59 UTC.

While publicly available, access will be monitored and subject to change to maintain version control prior to the publication of any and all future release announcements.

[ryelle]

I'm just going to jump in early to suggest some deadlines so that we're not rushing at the last minute.

Since the hard string freeze (RC1) is March 7th, that means the page needs to be done and coded before that date (minor iterations after this point are OK).

Personally, I like getting a draft of the About Page in with soft string freeze/beta 4 (Feb 28).

I'm not sure how long design will take, but a week is probably safe? Especially if the header & style exploration are started earlier. So I'd suggest a content deadline of Feb 14th — this is beta 2, so hopefully at this point we know what features will be in the release.

I know this is an aggressive timeline, but last release I wasn't able to start building the page until the night before RC1, and this builds in some buffer for delays and/or iterations. Also, this is meant to start a discussion so we can all be on the same page, not dictate deadlines.

[jpantani]

This is really valuable feedback and great to share here with the crew early on to ensure milestones are being hit on time to avoid any last-minute frenzy.

Replying to ryelle:

I'm just going to jump in early to suggest some deadlines so that we're not rushing at the last minute.

Since the hard string freeze (RC1) is March 7th, that means the page needs to be done and coded before that date (minor iterations after this point are OK).

Personally, I like getting a draft of the About Page in with soft string freeze/beta 4 (Feb 28).

I'm not sure how long design will take, but a week is probably safe? Especially if the header & style exploration are started earlier. So I'd suggest a content deadline of Feb 14th — this is beta 2, so hopefully at this point we know what features will be in the release.

I know this is an aggressive timeline, but last release I wasn't able to start building the page until the night before RC1, and this builds in some buffer for delays and/or iterations. Also, this is meant to start a discussion so we can all be on the same page, not dictate deadlines.

[webcommsat]

Replying to jpantani:
Thanks for starting the ticket @jpantani . Great to see it. Can you please include me in the people this is shared with as I am the other component maintainer with Mary for the About / Help which covers this ticket area. Thanks so much. For the work we are doing in documentation release group, this ticket will be super useful too. As ever, if I can help you, will try to do so.

This ticket is shared in Core between Lauren Stein, Mary Baum, Jonathan Pantani, and Rich Tabor.
It is expected that Dan Soschin will also play an advisory role during this release.

A shared folder for 6.2 about page and images has been set up. A link to this folder is located here and is publicly available to those with the link.
​https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-O2ri_HHPfoUtkRpBvMxoaP3A_E1Cwed

While publicly available, access will be monitored and subject to change to maintain version control prior to the publication of any and all future release announcements.

[webcommsat]

The ticket is now in the milestone for 6.2 so will appear in its ticket list.

[jpantani]

I wanted to pose a follow-up question to this as I've given it some extra consideration. Would the general layout and content be acceptable e.g. a well-constructed wireframe with placeholder images? I want to enable those working on creating the assets to have time to do so. So maybe a wireframe around the 14th to get to the final draft around the 28th? Are we in alignment on that?

Replying to ryelle:

Since the hard string freeze (RC1) is March 7th, that means the page needs to be done and coded before that date (minor iterations after this point are OK).

Personally, I like getting a draft of the About Page in with soft string freeze/beta 4 (Feb 28).

I'm not sure how long design will take, but a week is probably safe? Especially if the header & style exploration are started earlier. So I'd suggest a content deadline of Feb 14th — this is beta 2, so hopefully at this point we know what features will be in the release.

I know this is an aggressive timeline, but last release I wasn't able to start building the page until the night before RC1, and this builds in some buffer for delays and/or iterations. Also, this is meant to start a discussion so we can all be on the same page, not dictate deadlines.

[ryelle]

The question of whether an early wireframe is possible is probably more for design (is that @richtabor again?). From my experience, the design depends on the content, and if sections are still being added/dropped/rewritten, early wireframes get out of date quickly.

If you have a solid draft by the 14th (the features to highlight are stable, even if specific copy is still iterating), I think design could make a layout based on that. (correct me if I'm wrong, though)

the final draft around the 28th

To get the content in for beta 4, I'll need to commit the page before the 28th, and I need time to code it. Even if we have a solid wireframe ahead of time, it still takes time to copy over the content. Plus, I don't want to hold up the beta trying to commit it that morning 🙂 Could you aim for the 22nd?

We can still iterate for the next week, the final final deadline is RC1 on March 7th (again, ideally minus a day for me to patch + commit any updates).

[jpantani]

Let's continue to partner to ensure that we're staying close to milestones and check-in points for reasonable turnaround times.
Replying to ryelle:

[jpantani]

This ticket is shared by the entire release squad and driven primarily by marketing and design. All are welcome to contribute in a meaningful way to the development and success of the 6.2 Release About Page.

I'm very glad to see you're involved and following this ticket and look forward to collaborating with you and the rest of the release squad on ensuring its accuracy and success.

Replying to webcommsat:

Replying to jpantani:
Thanks for starting the ticket @jpantani . Great to see it. Can you please include me in the people this is shared with as I am the other component maintainer with Mary for the About / Help which covers this ticket area. Thanks so much. For the work we are doing in documentation release group, this ticket will be super useful too. As ever, if I can help you, will try to do so.

This ticket is shared in Core between Lauren Stein, Mary Baum, Jonathan Pantani, and Rich Tabor.
It is expected that Dan Soschin will also play an advisory role during this release.

A shared folder for 6.2 about page and images has been set up. A link to this folder is located here and is publicly available to those with the link.
​https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-O2ri_HHPfoUtkRpBvMxoaP3A_E1Cwed

While publicly available, access will be monitored and subject to change to maintain version control prior to the publication of any and all future release announcements.

[richtabor]

If you have a solid draft by the 14th (the features to highlight are stable, even if specific copy is still iterating), I think design could make a layout based on that. (correct me if I'm wrong, though)

More or less, yes. Generally we can follow suite with the flow of information the About page typically uses — though the amount of content depicts how some of it will be restructured.

The question of whether an early wireframe is possible is probably more for design (is that @richtabor again?).

Yes!

[ryelle]

@jpantani @richtabor Can you share a status update for the About page content/design?

[richtabor]

@jpantani @richtabor Can you share a status update for the About page content/design?

Content is being iterated on and is starting to fall into a decent spot.

And the layout of the main "What's new" page is being drafted (based on that content) in this Figma doc: ​https://www.figma.com/file/ZJSYO5aWwic71tEL3LHZyC/About-Page-6.2?node-id=1916%3A7981&t=ziY7AQ72Jx8fAl7j-1.

There will definitely still be content adaptations, but it's coming together.

[laurlittle]

Content is being iterated on and is starting to fall into a decent spot.

Yes! Content is currently in review, but does seem to be close (from a general outline perspective). Here's the collaboration Google Doc for transparency: ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOh3m5_teYYUaZdOOI8SI96HcFXDnx2f4j__7LOue_8/edit?usp=sharing

[laurlittle]

@ryelle @richtabor The Dashboard welcome banner updates for 6.2 can be tracked at #57759.

[ryelle]

@laurlittle @jpantani I'd like to get this into code today, but I see a bunch of unresolved comments in ​the google doc. Is this ready to be coded?

@richtabor Is the header in Figma final? Or maybe the Learn More bottom section? I can use placeholder images for now until the screenshots are ready.

[richtabor]

@richtabor Is the header in Figma final? Or maybe the Learn More bottom section? I can use placeholder images for now until the screenshots are ready.

Yes.

Header deliverables: ​https://www.figma.com/file/ZJSYO5aWwic71tEL3LHZyC/About-Page-6.2?node-id=1916%3A8299&t=W253kqihzUbuXlw2-1

Generally, the page layout is solid. There will still be small changes, but I'm not anticipating a lot.

About Page: ​https://www.figma.com/file/ZJSYO5aWwic71tEL3LHZyC/About-Page-6.2?node-id=1916%3A7981&t=W253kqihzUbuXlw2-1

[jpantani]

Content is generally in a good place now, save for a few minor areas, and ready for building out the page.

Replying to ryelle:

@laurlittle @jpantani I'd like to get this into code today, but I see a bunch of unresolved comments in ​the google doc. Is this ready to be coded?

This is a first pass at getting the About strings in, updating the header assets, and updating the style and colors. It sounds like the content is ready-enough to commit with translation wrappers, so I've done that, but some things will likely change in the time before RC1.

I'd appreciate a review from @jpantani or @thetinyl to make sure I've copied over the content correctly — you can review the screenshot below if you don't have a local environment set up.

Screenshots:

About page (full page)

Credits (only header changed)

Freedoms (only header changed)

Privacy (only header changed)

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57477

[ryelle]

Just noting that the above PR does cause the Welcome Panel to look pretty awkward, but I've got a PR for updating that design over here: ​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/4146

@ryelle I think it looks good. I'm noticing two updates needed:

• Remove the headline above the Style Book, Copy and paste, Custom CSS section (this change is now reflected in the copy document, too)
• The "Learn more about 6.2" bottom section needs a little bit of tweaking—see screenshot below from Figma design:

[laurlittle]

@ryelle There are still some copy changes happening in the About page doc, but none of it should affect the layout.

@thetinyl Is the difference in the "Learn more" section the vertical alignment? I did leave all the strings here alone, since this way the current translations can be reused (they've been consistent for the past few releases, I think), but if the copy change is also important I can do that too.

I did leave all the strings here alone, since this way the current translations can be reused (they've been consistent for the past few releases, I think), but if the copy change is also important I can do that too.

The copy is actually very similar to what it's been, just condensed a little. It was adjusted to make the resource links stand out a little better. Though from a translation perspective it's probably different enough that it would probably need another look.

I've removed the heading, fixed the alignment, and added in the icons. The bottom section now looks like this:

LGTM. We can iterate from here.

[ryelle]

In 55449:

Help/About: Update the About page for 6.2.

This is the start of the WordPress 6.2 about page, introducing new content and a first pass of the new style.

Props laurlittle, jpantani, richtabor, audrasjb.
See #57477.

[ryelle]

I've just committed the first pass of the page. I'm sure I've missed people in the props — @laurlittle, @jpantani can you share the usernames of everyone who contributed to the copy? And @richtabor, can you share the designers? I'll make sure to props them in a later commit.

So far, the only thing left to do is add in the real screenshots, but other things might come in based on feedback.

Committed in r55449.

[jpantani]

We've also got @marybaum @sereedmedia @annezazu for props -- waiting on one more.

Replying to ryelle:

I've just committed the first pass of the page. I'm sure I've missed people in the props — @laurlittle, @jpantani can you share the usernames of everyone who contributed to the copy? And @richtabor, can you share the designers? I'll make sure to props them in a later commit.

So far, the only thing left to do is add in the real screenshots, but other things might come in based on feedback.

[ryelle]

@jpantani @laurlittle Have there been any copy changes that I need to implement on the About page? I won't be online on Tuesday so ideally we can finalize and commit any changes by end of Monday.

@richtabor What's the status on the screenshots here? And are there any other design changes needed for the page? Would also be good to get these into RC1, but it's not a strict deadline since it's not changing strings.

[richtabor]

And @richtabor, can you share the designers? I'll make sure to props them in a later commit.

@markoserb @fcoveram @joen

[richtabor]

Have there been any copy changes that I need to implement on the About page?

I noted copy changes via comments on the Figma.

What's the status on the screenshots here?

We're working on them, about 50% done.

Marking as a draft for now for input on the design changes I've made so far.

• Text in 3 & 4 column layouts is smaller
• H4-style headings (the smaller headings in the 3-col area) are semi-bold
• Spacing around headings in 3-col layouts has been updated
• The Learn More section with video link has been switched to a 3-col layout with the text spanning 2 cols

I also removed a lot of the grid-template placement code, which was there only to support IE11, this makes doing overrides like having a single .column span 2 easier.

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57477

[jpantani]

Replying to ryelle:

@ryelle @laurlittle and I have two small copy edits to address the orphans in the last sections of this ticket.

​https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/pull/4179

Here are links to the two highlighted copy edits.
1) ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOh3m5_teYYUaZdOOI8SI96HcFXDnx2f4j__7LOue_8/edit?disco=AAAArltEhYY
2) ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOh3m5_teYYUaZdOOI8SI96HcFXDnx2f4j__7LOue_8/edit?disco=AAAArltEhYc

Everything else looks good — thank you.

@jpantani @laurlittle Have there been any copy changes that I need to implement on the About page? I won't be online on Tuesday so ideally we can finalize and commit any changes by end of Monday.

I think the <h3> headings in 2 columns should have less space below, just like the ones in 3-columns, at the moment they are flying by them self. A smaller margin connects the header and the copy better.

See example with margin-bottom: calc(var(--gap) / 4);.

I've made the copy changes requested, so this section now reads:

I'll take this PR out of draft and aim to commit it before RC, pending any other feedback. We can continue to make minor design changes post RC, but as I've mentioned in the Figma, I'd prefer to not touch the layout after this point.

We'll aim to get the screenshots into RC2.

[ryelle]

In 55499:

Help/About: Update copy & style for About page and subpages.

Minor copy updates. Update heading style, text size, spacing in smaller columns. Remove columns placement code to simplify CSS. This was necessary for IE11, but modern browsers can use auto-placement. Move navigation out of the banner to keep size & background placement consistent across About section.

Props marybaum, sereedmedia, annezazu, jpantani, laurlittle, richtabor, markoserb, fcoveram, joen, kebbet.
See #57477.

Committed in r55499.

[NekoJonez]

I have been testing and in the credits, it still says: "Contributors of 6.1" but that'll most likely be solved when the new list is created...?

[ryelle]

Replying to NekoJonez:

I have been testing and in the credits, it still says: "Contributors of 6.1" but that'll most likely be solved when the new list is created...?

That's right, that line comes from the credits API itself (​example) and when the 6.2 credits are built, it should automatically update to 6.2.

[ryokuhi]

Hello everyone!
We reviewed this ticket today during the Accessibility Team's weekly bug scrub.
There are a couple of issues we would like to raise.

• At the moment, images are still missing. Take care in choosing images that don't need an alternative text: I'm not sure there will be time to add alt-texts and, since hard string freeze happened with Release Candidate 1, give time to translators to translate them.
• The 6(.)2 image next to the "Learn more about WordPress 6.2" heading is wrapped in a link to a YouTube video (currently, the one about WordPress 6.1). Will there be a video also for 6.2? If yes, I think it's very hard for people to imagine that such an image is actually a link to a video (I wouldn't have been aware of its existence if it wasn't for the alt-text). If not, the link should be removed and the image alt-text changed.

[ryelle]

In 55545:

Help/About: Add CDN images to About page.

Props richtabor.
See #57477.

[ryelle]

[55545] needs to be backported to the 6.2 branch.

[hellofromTonya]

Marking [55545] for double-signoff to backport to the 6.2 branch.

[hellofromTonya]

[55545] LGTM for backport to 6.2. @ryelle want to do the backport commit?

[ryelle]

In 55546:

Help/About: Add CDN images to About page.

Props richtabor.
See #57477.

[ryelle]

@jpantani @laurlittle @richtabor I've been assuming there will be a video for this release (like ​the 6.1 video), and left the placeholder link in the page, but I just realized I haven't heard any conversations around it — so just confirming, will there be a release video?

[laurlittle]

Good catch! You can remove the placeholder link from the About page as there won't be one general release video this time around.

There will be video, but not for use on the About page.

Replying to ryelle:

@jpantani @laurlittle @richtabor I've been assuming there will be a video for this release (like ​the 6.1 video), and left the placeholder link in the page, but I just realized I haven't heard any conversations around it — so just confirming, will there be a release video?

[richtabor]

Good catch! You can remove the placeholder link from the About page as there won't be one general release video this time around.

Yup, we can keep the badge—just remove the link.

[richtabor]

Following up on the images — the about-split-controls.png image has a bit of distortion.

Here's a link to the correct image:

​https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1813435/226460299-4331a777-4027-4846-beb9-ecaa0a9440a8.png

[ryelle]

In 55573:

Help/About: Updates to About page.

Remove link to release video, update split controls image.

Follow-up to [55449], [55499], [55545].

Props laurlittle, richtabor.
Fixes #57477.

[ryelle]

Reopening for a 2nd review to backport [55573] to 6.2.

[hellofromTonya]

Tested. [55573] looks ready for backport to 6.2 for RC3.

[ryelle]

In 55575:

Help/About: Updates to About page.

Remove link to release video, update split controls image.

Follow-up to [55449], [55499], [55545].

Props laurlittle, richtabor.
Reviewed by hellofromTonya.
Merges [55573] to the 6.2 branch.
Fixes #57477.

[vladytimy]

@ryelle Sorry for the very late comment 😔, but shouldn't WordPress Field Guide link to ​https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/03/09/wordpress-6-2-field-guide/?

I'm looking at https://core.trac.wordpress.org/browser/branches/6.2/src/wp-admin/about.php#L249

[hellofromTonya]

Reposting the changeset here as I put the wrong ticket number.

[55600]:
Help/About: Add Field Guide link.

In the About page, replaces the # placeholder with the link to the Field Guide.

Follow-up to [55573], [55449], [55499], [55545].

Props vladytimy, ocean90.
Fixes #57998.

[hellofromTonya]

In 55601:

Help/About: Make Field Guide link translatable.

On the About page, wraps the Field Guide's link in __() to provide a localized field guide, when available.

Follow-up to [55600].

Props davidbaumwald, sergeybiryukov, desrosj, javiercasares, oglekler, mukesh27, clorith, eboxnet, costdev, ocean90.
Fixes #57477.

[hellofromTonya]

Reopening for double committer review to backport [55600] and [55601] to the 6.2 branch.

[SergeyBiryukov]

[55600] and [55601] look good to backport.

[hellofromTonya]

In 55602:

Help/About: Add Field Guide link.

In the About page, replaces the # placeholder with the link to the Field Guide.

Follow-up to [55573], [55449], [55499], [55545].

Props vladytimy, ocean90.
Reviewed by sergeybiryukov.
Merges [55600] to the 6.2 branch.
Fixes #57477.

[hellofromTonya]

In 55603:

Help/About: Make Field Guide link translatable.

On the About page, wraps the Field Guide's link in __() to provide a localized field guide, when available.

Follow-up to [55600].

Props davidbaumwald, sergeybiryukov, desrosj, javiercasares, oglekler, mukesh27, clorith, eboxnet, costdev, ocean90.
Reviewed by sergeybiryukov.
Merges [55601] to the 6.2 branch.
Fixes #57477.

[hellofromTonya]

The Field Guide's URL is now translatable (see [55601]). Marking this as the i18n change.