Usability Report: Wikka Wiki dot org Username: TechnicalWriting Password: enc2210 __Good Traits__ - It is fast - Has many features - Has a mailing list - Has graphics and audio functions - Easy to install __Bad Traits__ - Hard to Navigate - Layout is not organized - Some of the main links do not work - It is still being developed so the format could change at any time - The code is very hackable - The site is also not ascetically appealing - The very fact that this must be installed is a turnoff since others do not need to be - Making a username is not easy "Username must be formatted as a WikiName" * How effective is the site in providing information? It is informational. There is an alphabetical index where you can search features available for your wiki and also lists the other wikki's. Under documentation it lists what a wiki is and how to create them. It has many different features you can add to your wikki and how to do it with examples of how it should look for it to work. __Our Opinions__ __Marissa Henrikson__ I believe this wiki site has many strong points but also has some weak points. I don't believe the way the information is laid out is conducive to easy navigating. It is hard to find things and to remember where things are because all of the links are embedded into the text. The page has a lot of content and is informational, but it takes time to figure out where everything is. It has a lot of features and is very fast to load. __Erika Krause__ I believe that this wikki site could be a much stronger site. There are plenty of useful features but it the design that needs work to make it more effective. If it was laid out differently, such as the embedded links, the site would be a better site to make wikki's. If the wikki had better organization on the page it would be easier to find what you are looking for. I do really like the section that explains to you how to create a wikki and why you would want one in the first place. Also there are so many features that this site offers for your wikki and they are easier to place in your wikki. All in all it is a good site, just needs some work to make it better. __Jacob Parker__ As far as this Wiki relates and compares to alternative Wiki sites (from both my personal opinion, and those shared among users of the WikkaWiki community) it is evident that it is among the most functional and user friendly. I also feel, however, that WikkaWiki, like most of its competitors, makes its interface very unapproachable by those who are unfamiliar with what a Wiki actually is and what it can be used for. WikkaWiki does seem to be alot faster than other Wikis, however. Apparently this is due to the fact that it is written in PHP, a "lighter-weight" system of coding than that employed by other Wikis. __Shane Finn__ This Wiki is not user friendly, organized, or easy for me to navigate. It took awhile for me to even figure out how to make a user name so it is not easy to register. Also you must download software which is just unnecessary compared to other wiki sites. There are many options and abilities this site offers, but they seem hard to use. The most important functions in my opinion should be how easy the wiki is to use and how easy it is to get registered. That's why I recommend Google Documents instead of this wiki. Everyone is already registered since everyone already has a Gmail account and its very easy to use. There are also many other options that come with Google such as the ability to upload documents, live chat with Gmail, and of course the ease of communicating via email as well as the wiki. //Some general notes...(taken directly out of context from [[IndependentWikkaReviews user reviews]])// //Features that make Wikka Wiki a winner:// - //RSS feeds: Suppose you like to write on the web, but hate the reverse-chronology shackles of weblog software. On the other hand, you want people to be able to read your most recent scribbling as you publish it. An RSS enabled wiki allows the freedom of a wiki and the syndication of a weblog.// - //Flexibility: Okay, technically a wiki should be open to everyone to read, write, and edit. But what if you want to keep out the Anonymous Cowards who like to drop by and take a dump in your space? Wikka wiki allows some flexibility in who can play in your sandbox.// - //Comments: So you want the wiki to be an intertwingling of your own making, but you want others to be able to drop by and point out your more obvious warts. Wikka wiki has comments built in.// - //Over-powered: Doug Miller commented the other night that MySQL seem to be overkill when it came to running a wiki, and that something like SQlite would be a-plenty. Too true. But the nice thing about over-engineering a product means that it has room to breath and grow. Not satisfied with the current feature set? No worries, pet.// (Many users compare WikkaWiki to MediaWiki, claiming it to contain a lot less "fluff" and more functional tools.) "I have found that the RSSfacilities built into Wikka Wakka Wiki is really useful!" "It has all the features that I wanted without feeling like it is bloated like MediaWiki" "[M]y first wiki was MediaWiki, and I just decided it was.. 'too much'. I wanted something that was easier, cleaner interface, and where new users with something to say would be more likely to add content and ended up with WikkaWiki (Jason Rahaim∞)" "Wikka is an Wiki written in PHP with some great features: PHP and MYSQL make it lightweight and fast. (Okay so that’s propaganda from the website but it really is great.) Page level security so you can determine which pages can be viewed and edited by others. Like other Wikis it uses the CamelCase syntax for links to other pages but it also has some neat tricks for creating elements like lists, horizontal bars, etc. Its functionality can be extended using plugins called actions. People have written actions to display rss feeds and calendars among others."