Welcome! This all-volunteer team needs designers of various kinds. See our handbook and drop into #design once signed up for volunteer opportunities.
Our vision is to be the go-to resource for design for other teams across the WordPress open source project.
Gutenberg needs to provide a way for users to discover and install new third-party blocks without ever leaving the editor. We are looking for a volunteer to lead the design part of this project.
Currently, new Gutenberg blocks can be provided by plugins, which often register many blocks, and which are managed from outside the editor. The Block Directory proposal outlines a new type of simple block-based plugin that is intended to be seamlessly installed from within Gutenberg itself. This is one of the 9 priorities in the 2019 roadmap.
The WordPress.org API will provide an endpoint for searching for blocks by name and description, and return metadata similar to that of plugins. Gutenberg’s Inserter could use that endpoint to also show relevant block plugins that are available to install, with a button and process for seamless installation. Some early sketches of ideas have been made, such as these:
(Note that these are all merely explorations and visual ideas, not set in stone)
It will be important to give users enough information about available blocks in order to make an informed decision – which might include the author, review ratings, and so on – without overloading them with too much information.
One key feature that might help improve the user experience is to allow users to insert a preview of the block into their document first, before installing the plugin, and then use the preview to make their decision about whether or not to install it.
As of now, there are some ideas sketched out and some general requirements as outlined above. There is work already on the block management feature, which is tangentially related. But there are many decisions yet to be made. Work needs to begin soon if this is to be ready in time for the WordPress 5.3 release later this year.
Some of the main design issues that need to be resolved include:
We are looking for a volunteer designer who can manage this project and commit enough time to see it through to completion in time for the 5.3 release. Responsibilities would include:
Given the nature of the work and the time frame, we expect that this is a project that will need a minimum commitment of at least a day a week, and possibly considerably more at times.
If you think you might be the right person for the task, please make yourself known to the Design Team during the weekly meeting, Wednesday 18:00 UTC in #design. Or alternatively, leave a comment below.
