[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #61040: Provide a framework for plugin onboarding experiences

[WordPress Trac]

#61040: Provide a framework for plugin onboarding experiences
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 Reporter:  jorbin       |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins      |     Version:
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:               |     Focuses:  administration
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Comment (by kevinwhoffman):

 Apologies in advance for the extended metaphor, but... What if we narrowed
 down our scope to the moment that takes place immediately after a plugin
 is activated? The problem we'd be solving is the universal need for all
 interactive plugins to transition a user from plugin activation to "What's
 next?"

 Activating plugins today is like stepping into a teleporter that sometimes
 whisks you off to an unknown location via a redirect... and sometimes does
 nothing.

 What if core could replace those finicky teleporters with conventional
 doorways that look and feel like other doorways we've seen before?

 Core could provide such a standard doorway (e.g. a filterable "Open"
 button) after activating a plugin. Users would come to recognize the
 doorway, what it looks like, where it's located, how it opens, and what it
 represents.


 Rather than being teleported through the doorway without a choice, users
 could read the sign on the door and decide whether they want to enter
 through the doorway now or later (i.e. after installing other plugins or
 dependencies).

 Plugin authors wouldn't have to be doorway experts. They could rely on
 core to provide an accessible and predictable doorway to all users. Plugin
 authors could decide what sign goes on the door ("Open", "Get Started",
 "Configure", etc.) and what happens once you pass through the door (jump
 straight into using the plugin, start an onboarding wizard, configure a
 settings page, etc.).

 And if the plugin author is unaware or chooses not to take advantage of
 the doorway provided by core, then the door remains locked with a simple
 "Activated" sign on the door, just like it does today.

 In this sense, the doorway is a progressive enhancement offered to
 plugins, but not forced upon them. Through documentation and developer
 outreach, we can provide a recommended workflow that can be adopted over
 time, gradually replacing the unpredictable teleporters with predictable
 doorways that restore user choice.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/61040#comment:74>
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