[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #38418: Add telemetry (aka usage data collection) as opt-in feature in core

[WordPress Trac]

#38418: Add telemetry (aka usage data collection) as opt-in feature in core
-----------------------------+----------------------
 Reporter:  mor10            |       Owner:
     Type:  feature request  |      Status:  closed
 Priority:  normal           |   Milestone:
Component:  General          |     Version:  4.7
 Severity:  normal           |  Resolution:  wontfix
 Keywords:                   |     Focuses:
-----------------------------+----------------------

Comment (by mor10):

 Replying to [comment:11 matt]:
 > I realized this was discussed in October, but it is off the table for
 2017 as it is not within the three focus areas. If after 2017 it is
 considered: There is no part of current or potential WP development that
 is being held back by the lack of this existing, as there are easy and
 current ways to answer questions with data to the extent it would inform
 our decisions.

 I respectfully disagree. Quantitative user testing falls squarely within
 the Customizer focus area and is vital for future development of the
 Customizer. I would argue since the release of the Customizer some years
 back, it has gone through a multi-year large-scale quantitative user test
 with incremental tweaks and improvements. This is in line with standard
 agile development. At this juncture, the Customizer can be considered
 mature, and moving a mature solution forward requires hard data on usage,
 use cases, and user needs. This goes beyond standard user testing to large
 scale data collection, which is what this ticket aims at addressing.

 Just within the scope of the Customizer there are large blind spots that
 could be illuminated through data gathering. Some examples:

 - Are users successful in adding logos to their sites or do they often
 make more than one attempt before getting the result they want? If the
 latter, what exactly are they doing? Uploading the same image multiple
 times, experimenting with cropping, uploading formats not supported (SVG
 in particular)?
 - How often do admins change menus, and what kind of changes do they
 undertake? Do they use features like "Open in new tab"? Do they drag-and-
 drop or use nav buttons? What is their flow (add items, then organize, or
 add single item, organize, add another item)?
 - How many users change the default colors of the selected theme, and do
 they use the color picker or add a specific color?
 - Are there items in the Customizer that see very little use (below 5%)?
 - Are there items in the Customizer that are often interacted with but
 never saved?
 - How often is the hide/show feature in the Customizer sidebar used?
 - How often is the "responsive preview" feature in the Customizer used?
 - this list could go on for a long time

 Even with extensive qualitative (in-person) user testing, we would not be
 able to get actionable data on these types of questions. Only large data
 sets can provide a reliable answer and uncover surprising results.
 Considering the scale and reach of WordPress' user base, it is not enough
 to say the community provides sufficient feedback or we know what people
 want. The "community" in this context is a small and non-representative
 subset of total users with a particular interest in the application and
 its function. The average user is not someone who takes part in the
 community but rather uses the application as any other tool without active
 participation and feedback procedures. These are the 80% we build
 WordPress for, and these are the people we need data from.

--
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/38418#comment:12>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform