Flowershow Site Information Architecture

Status: Draft — agreed Feb 2026 Based on: brand-strategy.md, brand-audit-2026-02-13.md

Context

This IA redesign follows from the brand strategy work completed in early 2026. The core problem: the current site has a fragmented nav (8+ top-level items), no narrative layer between the practical promise and the philosophical vision, and use-case pages buried alongside product pages without a coherent grouping.

Key brand strategy decisions driving this IA:

• Lead with the practical promise (A+C: speed + time saved), narrative underneath (D)
• Three layers of attention: hero → why now → collective sensemaking
• Self-hosted is off the table — simplify to Cloud + CLI publishing paths
• About page rewritten and published (currently excluded)

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Navigation

Primary Nav

[Logo]   Use Cases ▾   Docs   Blog   Pricing   [Sign In] [Start Free →]

Use Cases dropdown:

• Obsidian
• Blogs
• Knowledge Bases
• Landing Pages
• Data Stories
• Wikis
• AI & Automated Publishing

Notes:

• Removed from current nav: Publish CLI, Flowershow for Blogs, Flowershow for Data Stories, Demo, Themes (all linked contextually from homepage or docs instead)
• Sign In + Start Free are persistent right-side CTAs
• Demo linked from homepage hero, not nav
• Themes: currently nav links to external GitHub repo — replace with /themes page (see below)

Footer

Product: Pricing, Docs, Blog, Use Cases, Themes Publishing: GitHub, CLI (publish) Community: GitHub, Discord Legal: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy

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Page Inventory

Core Pages

Publishing Path Pages (not in nav — deep-link destinations)

Themes

Use Cases

Docs

Blog

Retired / Excluded

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Homepage Structure

New scroll sequence replacing the current feature-list layout:

1. Hero Tagline: "Content to URL. Instantly." (or "Markdown to website in seconds") Subhead: aspiration first ("fastest way to turn markdown into a live website"), then pain negation ("no repos, no pipelines, no waiting") Pricing nudge: "Free plan — no credit card required" Stats bar: e.g. "1,000+ users · X,000 sites published" CTA: Start publishing free | Demo video

2. Features Grid Instant deployment, folder-based publishing, markdown-native, hosted for you, own your content, custom domains & themes

3. Themes Showcase (new — visual strip) Screenshots of 2–3 named themes side by side. Shown, not told. Links to /themes for full gallery.

4. Testimonials (new — if/when real quotes available) 2–3 short real quotes from community members. Placeholder until sourced.

5. Ways to Publish Visual, scannable: drag & drop / GitHub / CLI / Obsidian plugin Links to /github, /publish, /uses/obsidian

6. "Why Now" Narrative Section (new — the D layer) Editorial prose on "publishing rebuilt for the AI age" Ends with link to /about for the full story

7. Use Cases Teaser (trimmed to 4 cards) Obsidian · Blogs · Knowledge Bases · AI Publishing Overflow link: "Also great for: landing pages · data stories · wikis → See all"

8. Community Showcase 12 live community sites — keep as-is

9. FAQ (new — objection handler) 4 Q&As: pricing, markdown compatibility, portability, custom domains

10. Newsletter Repositioned as "not ready yet?" — above final CTA

11. Final CTA Mirrors hero headline to bookend the page. "Content to URL. Instantly. Free."

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About Page Structure (rewrite)

The About page becomes a three-act narrative, progressing through the three layers of the brand strategy:

Act 1 — What we built Brief. The practical promise. Points back to the homepage. Sets up the "but why?" question.

Act 2 — Why now The D-layer narrative: content moves faster than ever, publishing infrastructure hasn't kept up, Flowershow is what you'd build if you started from scratch today. This is the "manifesto" — no separate /manifesto page needed.

Act 3 — The bigger picture The existing collective sensemaking argument, the markdown revolution, why publishing tools matter for how we think together. The philosophical depth for the audience that wants it.

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Redirects Required

Existing redirects to preserve:

• /docs/site-wide-toc → /docs/sidebar
• /blog/how-to-set-up-blog → /blog/how-to-publish-blog

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Open Questions / Future Work

• /github page — does GitHub-based publishing need its own full landing page (like /publish), or is a section in docs sufficient? Defer until /publish pattern is validated.
• Use Cases index page — grid/gallery or editorial? Recommend gallery with a one-line description per use case and a hero image.
• Obsidian use case — the existing about page anchors in 2022-era digital garden culture. The new Obsidian page should update that framing while still speaking to the audience.
• CLI nav visibility — /publish is a useful shareable URL but not in nav. Monitor whether it needs more prominence (e.g. in the footer or a "developer" section).
• Testimonials — Section 4 on homepage needs real quotes. Source from GitHub Discussions, Discord, or direct outreach before launch.
• Stats for hero — confirm real numbers for user count and sites published to populate the stats bar. "1,000+ users" is confirmed; sites published figure needed.
• /themes page — new page needed to replace the current external GitHub link. Four official themes: LessFlowery, Letterpress, Superstack, Leaf. Each has a demo site (*.flowershow.app) and preview images in github.com/flowershow/themes. Page should show screenshot + name + one-liner + demo link + usage instructions (config.json snippet). Replace current GitHub nav link with /themes once page exists.