Discussion on Problems with the Site Editor: Gutenberg’s Project Leadership Meets with New Outreach Team
In a recent video call, the lead architect and product owner of the Gutenberg project, along with WordPress developers, agencies, product owners, and community advocates, discussed the ongoing problems with the Site Editor. The Gutenberg project, which aims to revolutionize the WordPress editing experience, still has years of development ahead, according to Matt Mullenweg.
The Site Editor, a key feature of Gutenberg’s Phase Two, has been enabled by default for new installations for the past two years. However, the adoption of block-based themes has been underwhelming compared to popular page-building tools like Elementor. Many users have expressed their opinions on the block editor, highlighting the challenges and limitations they face.
WordPress is a vast and complex project, subject to the decisions of its leaders but also influenced by contributions from various organizations. Unfortunately, individual WordPress end-users often feel powerless and unable to communicate their experiences or provide feedback. This is particularly true for the Site Editor, which desperately needs user feedback.
To bridge this communication gap, the FSE Outreach Experiment was launched three years ago. Recently renamed Outreach, the team aims to facilitate two-way communication between users and core contributors. Any core contributor can now tag the Outreach team directly in GitHub to receive early feedback from the community. The goal is to encourage constructive conversations in official channels rather than relying on social media.
The Outreach team has also received feedback on the Site Editor through a widely circulated blog post titled “Overlapping Problems.” This post breaks down common user experience complaints and provides links to specific issues or pull requests where improvements are being made. The problems mentioned in the post highlight underlying issues with the Site Editor and the broader Gutenberg development process.
One recurring concern is that the Site Editor’s power and feature-set continue to grow, but the user experience needs more polish. However, when users raise these concerns, they are often met with the response that they simply need more education and training. This disconnect between the core team and users is a significant challenge in such a large and diverse community.
Another issue is the lack of prioritization for the needs of developers, freelancers, and agencies who build websites for less-technical users. Many in this segment feel that Gutenberg does not cater to their requirements, leading them to rely on the Classic Editor or page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Bricks.
The Outreach team aims to address these concerns by fostering conversations between the extender community and core development. They want to ensure that new features are thoroughly tested and ready for production before adoption. This requires a faster feedback cycle between developers and the wider community.
Matias Ventura, the lead of the Gutenberg project, acknowledges that there is still work to be done in improving the Site Editor. He emphasizes the importance of communication, both internally within the project and with users, to understand specific use cases and address issues effectively. He also acknowledges that some features may require additional plugins to fill gaps in functionality.
The Outreach team plays a vital role in curating feedback, organizing Hallway Hangouts to showcase and discuss new features, and bridging the gap between developers and users. Their efforts are aimed at refining the user experience and ensuring the continued success of the WordPress project.
To get involved in providing feedback and shaping the future of WordPress, individuals can join the #outreach channel in Slack and participate in discussions on GitHub. While resolving all the overlapping problems may take time, the willingness of core contributors to openly discuss the shortcomings of the Site Editor is a positive step towards progress.
In conclusion, the ongoing discussion on problems with the Site Editor highlights the challenges faced by the Gutenberg project in delivering a seamless editing experience. The Outreach team’s efforts to facilitate communication and gather feedback from users and core contributors are crucial in addressing these challenges. By working together, the WordPress community can ensure the continued success of the platform.
