Good Morning,
OK, I’ve read every bit of documentation available on EE, and looked at hundreds of sample sites built with EE (using Firebug to see underlying structures). I’m impressed by the capabilities of EE, the quality of sites built with it, the aesthetics of designers who are attracted to EE, and the great community.
But there is still a nagging gap between all that and simply being able to visualize the work flow of using EE. Terminology like “channel” (for example) is too specific to EE for me to know what it means without seeing it in action through the control panel.
As many others have said, there’s a need for a demo of EE or a trial version that would allow people to see how things work under the hood. All the documentation in the world, all the screen shots in the world, and all the sample sites in the world cannot replace hands-on experience.
But this is not meant to be a complaint. I’m really interested in getting more knowledge about EE. All right, maybe there’s something else we can do.
let’s call it the “analogy approach.”
For example, take the term “channel.” Maybe someone can give me an analogy in general Web-design terms, say, “A channel is like a ______ when you are creating a Web site without EE.”
This is just an example. My point is, perhaps elements of EE are analogous to ideas that Web designers are already familiar with, and using those analogies might help a lot of us better visualize what these things are.
Of course, I think a demo or trial version would be a much better way to go for everyone. But failing that, analogies might help fill in some of the gaps.
I’d be interested in hearing from potential EE customers if they agree with my ideas, and if so what parts of EE could benefit from this approach.
Thanks,
Matthew