Website Enhancement: Improve Content Discoverability and Community Engagement on SPIFFE.io

[v0lkan]

The current SPIFFE.io website contains valuable information and community links, but discoverability and engagement opportunities are limited by its current layout and content structure.

While much of the existing work was done with care and good intent, and the initial focus of the project had been to put the documentation and standards out there; the project has matured enough to a point that certain user experience gaps may unintentionally hinder newcomers and community growth.

This issue highlights key challenges and proposes collaborative solutions.

Key Issues

1. High-Value Content Is Buried

• Case studies are hidden at /docs/latest/spire-about/case-studies/ (4 levels deep).
• Community presentations are buried at /docs/latest/spiffe-about/community-presentations/.
• These materials are important for decision-makers and newcomers but hard to discover without prior familiarity.

2. Community Engagement Calls-to-Action Are Too Subtle

• Homepage lacks a clear "Join the Community" button or CTA.
• Slack/GitHub icons exist, but many users overlook them.
• First-time visitors often need explicit, visible invitations to engage.

3. Educational Resources Are Underemphasized

• The “turtle book” (conceptual overview) is only accessible via a homepage carousel.
• The carousel format is easy to miss and downplays its importance.
• While slightly outdated, the turtle book remains foundational.

4. Lack of External Content Curation

• No centralized location for curated community content (tutorials, blog posts, talks).
• Great user-generated content often remains undiscovered.
• No process for submitting or surfacing external contributions.

5. Ecosystem Projects Lack Visibility

• Projects like Club Zero, SPIKE, helm-charts, go-spiffe, tornjak (to name a few) are not discoverable through the main site.
• These initiatives deserve equal visibility as part of the SPIFFE ecosystem (of course there needs to be a criteria about what project to higlight; but at least we should highlight some outstanding projects)

User Impact Assessment

Newcomers

• Likely struggle to find learning paths, usage examples, or foundational concepts.

Potential Contributors

• Lack clear entry points to get involved.
• Miss out on vibrant Slack channels and events.

Decision Makers

• Find it difficult to evaluate SPIFFE’s production readiness.
• Miss real-world success stories and social proof.

Existing Community

• Limited visibility into adjacent efforts (e.g., SPIKE, Club Zero).
• No platform for sharing or discovering community-created content.

Proposed Solution (Discussion Starter)

Note: This proposal is a starting point for collaboration and refinement.

1. Homepage Enhancements

Updated Hero Section

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SPIFFE: Universal Identity for Distributed │
│              Systems                        │
│                                             │
│ [Get Started] [Join Community] [Docs]       │
│                                             │
│ 📊 2000+ Contributors | 🏢 50+ Projects        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

New Sections:

• Projects & Tools: Showcase Club Zero, SPIR hardening guide, and integrations.
• Success Stories: Logos, summaries, and links to case studies.
• Community Hub: Highlight events, contributors, and pathways to participate.

---

2. Navigation Restructure

SPIFFE Logo | Concepts | Projects ▼ | Get Started | Resources ▼ | Community ▼ | Downloads
                         └─ SPIRE                   └─ Case Studies  └─ Slack
                         └─ Club Zero               └─ Presentations └─ Events
                         └─ Integrations            └─ Turtle Book   └─ Contributing
                                                    └─ External       └─ Governance

3. Discovery & Engagement Features

• Resource Hub (/resources):

  • Categorized external content: Articles, Videos, Tutorials
  • Community submission form
  • Featured content of the week
  • Optional voting/rating system

• Smart Suggestions:

  • “You may also like…” suggestions
  • Popular sidebar content
  • “Next Steps” cards

• Enhanced Search:

  • Full-text search via tools like lunr.js
  • Filters by content type (docs, case studies, videos)
  • Autocomplete and suggestions

Closing Thoughts

We all benefit when SPIFFE’s story, community, and ecosystem are easier to discover and join. These suggestions aim to amplify the great work already done and make it more accessible to the broader audience.

Let's collaborate on making this happen!

[v0lkan]

cc: @spiffe/ssc

I just dumped this down before a meeting, so we definitely need to hash it out further.

My plan is to discuss this with @hamzaerbay and @usirin first; and then create a medium to discuss this further with the SSC (either a Slack channel for asynchronous communications — or a zoom meeting if needed)

Like I said this is just the beginning; and these are my initial thoughts.

Comments and suggestions are welcome :) .

[v0lkan]

Ah, also; the task zero of this initiative should be to close all outstanding PRs and security issues so that we can start with a clean slate :) .

[hamzaerbay]

Additionally, we could integrate a solution like kapa.ai, as they offer dedicated support for open source projects

Example

Screen.Recording.2025-07-26.at.10.33.55.AM.mov

[v0lkan]

kapa.ai sounds interesting.