I’ve started designing a new layout for OSM emails. I’d like to have feedback, and I need help with testing.

Like many websites, OSM.org sends an email to members when something happens that concerns them. For instance, if someone comments on one of your changesets, you get an email. This is similar to how Facebook or LinkedIn send you a message when someone contacts you via their platform.

Unlike those websites, however, OSM emails look quite plain – no colour, no layout, no logo. This must look disconcerting to new users. Good communication with new users is crucial, especially as we’re seeing growing numbers of newcomers to the project who don’t always engage in dialog with the community. More modern-looking emails can only help make the project look and feel more attractive and more legitimate to casual contributors.

Here are some screenshots of the new layout, click to embiggen.

You can help!

1. Give feedback about the design in the comments below. There’s still lots of room for improvement. Keep in mind that any new text has to be translated into dozens of languages, so ideally we should keep the wording as it is for now (no new text), and stick to modifying the presentation only.

2. Take screenshots of what the new mails look like in your mail client. See the wiki page for details.

Implementation details are in pull request #1401.