[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 jason_the_adams):

 I think @chrisbadgett did a great job of expressing what are my thoughts
 as well. Smart defaults and the like an excellent part of building a great
 UX, but not the only piece. Introducing a new user to an application
 through an easy-to-use walkthrough that caters to their needs, technical
 abilities, and so forth helps a user to get maximum value in minimum time
 and effort — which is the ultimate goal of onboarding.

 As @costdev relayed in his response to me, there's certainly a lot of
 nuance in the various methods of activating plugins in WordPress. That's
 entirely fine. I think the important thing for WP to recognize is that
 many major plugins, including WooCommerce, do have a dedicated onboarding
 page that it's ideal for the user to go to after activation. Frankly,
 WordPress itself does ''exactly this'' after a major update is released. I
 don't see any reason to debate this, as WP and many plugins have poured so
 much research into validating the value for the user — otherwise, we
 wouldn't do it.

 This brings me to two points of effort:
 1. Providing a simple API for a plugin to optionally provide its
 onboarding URL, and whether the onboarding still needs to happen.
 2. Determine the best way for WP to relay this to the user in the given
 contexts.

 I'd be fine with WP locking down the redirects and other portions of the
 installation flow if it meant onboarding was a first-class consideration.
 That's the only reason I've personally known for plugins to get involved
 in the activation flow, and agree it can result in a poor UX.

 Regarding dependencies, I'd be fine with this being the responsibilities
 of the plugins to determine if they have what they need in order to direct
 the user to onboarding. I don't think this needs to be a concern of core.

 Thanks for the valuable discourse, folks! 😄

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/61040#comment:32>
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