Hi,
I am evaluating several CMS systems and am very drawn to the simplicity and capabilities of modx. I have been using this site and modx for about a week, so consider my suggestions from a new user’s frame of reference. I am one of the very people you need to convince to switch over and support / use your CMS - potentially on a quite large site. I like the modx project, so I am trying to offer some constructive criticism of the site to improve it.
Modx’s ability to set up web sites very quickly is one of modx’s strongest most marketable aspects, but the web site runs awfully slowly sometimes, particularly in the Repository. This reflects poorly on the CMS itself. When weighing a web site’s needs vs. CMS capabilities, it is essential to see what addons of high quality are available. The slow and somewhat cumbersome Repository slows down the evaluation process and detracts from modx’s simplified, elegant appeal.
- I think you need more powerful hosting. With the demand for this CMS and its resources presumably exponentially increasing each month, perhaps a scalable hosting solution such as an Amazon cloud server might be a better option to anticipate the inevitable server load increases, especially when (if?) v1.0 comes out.
- You need to clean up the Repository. Every CMS has a strong identity, and modx certainly wants to break from the pack, but I think there lessons to be learned from Joomla! Now, I know Joomla is practically the opposite of modx and I personally find it glossy, complicated, plagued with security problems (with practically weekly core security updates), and basically counter-intuitive in the admin. But one thing they do right, and better than any other CMS I’ve seen is showcase their extensions. On this site, they are difficult to find, rated awkwardly, and not user reviewed.
A few suggestions here:
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[li]There needs to be a main nav link to the "Repository" or "Resource Repository" or "Add-ons" or "?". "Resources" is too vague and can only be found after clicking downloads.
- Ratings should be per version, not for the entire Add-on, as drastic differences in performance, security, usability, everything can occur between versions
- When listing the Add-ons, list only the most recent version. No one is likely seeking the 3rd of 7 releases of an add-on. Perhaps link to the history of releases on a seperate page if people are looking for older versions. On the Add-on’s page itself prominently list the most recent development version and the most recent stable version.
- Follow Joomla!’s Extensions page method of user reviewing and rating each add-on. It is very helpful to see five star ratings and why the user ranked the Extension that way in the user review. This info should be on the extension download page as well. I realize that there is a forum thread link to discuss the add-ons here, but it is more powerful to see a star ranking with its reasoning right there. This all makes it very easy for someone new to the CMS to decide if they want to try the Add-on.
- There needs to be categorization of the Add-ons. The tag cloud is kind of cool, but I think a hierarchal category breakdown of the Add-ons in addition to the tag cloud would increase usability.
[/li][/list]
As a designer with moderate PHP experience I find Joomla!s templating plain awful, especially in contrast with modx. There is however something to be learned by how well Joomla’s web site markets themselves, attracts a large active community, enables speedy site set up and gives the Add-ons to the CMS a chance to shine.
I think these site usability changes would draw more users and developers alike to this project. It would also help bolster the claim that this is the easiest to use, most intuitive CMS. Add to that an easy to select basket of extensions to the CMS and I think modx is unstoppable. Powerful, flexible, intuitive web sites for all!
MODX Staff
MODX Staff
MODX Staff
☆ A M B ☆
