The Test Team helps manage testing and triage across the WordPress ecosystem. They focus on user testing of the editing experience and WordPress dashboard, replicating and documenting bug reports, and supporting a culture of review and triage across the project.
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Gutenberg Usability Testing for March 2020
GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses āblocksā to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ usability testing revolved around the Navigation blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. for the month of March. The Gutenberg team is looking to push this forward by creating a better UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think āwhat they are doingā and less about how they do it. and including it as a proper block in the block library.
Testing script
Imagine youāre building a new website using WordPress. WordPress now offers a Navigation block within the new block editor. This is what youāll focus on for this usability test. Letās create a Navigation menuNavigation Menu A theme feature introduced with Version 3.0. WordPress includes an easy to use mechanism for giving various control options to get users to click from one place to another on a site. using this new block!
- Log in.
- Create a new post.
- Add a title to your post.
- Keep in mind that the way to add various content to your post is by adding blocks. Explore where you might go to add a block, and add the Navigation block to your post.
- Click the āCreate from all top-level pagesā option in the block. Weāre going to pre-fill this Navigation menu with the siteās top level pages.
- First, delete the āMoby Dickā menu item.
- Next, move the āAboutā menu item so that it comes just after āHome.ā
- Move āBlogā to the right of āServices.ā
- Next, weāre going to add sub-menu items under the āAboutā menu item.
- The first sub-menu item should be āMission.ā Add a sub-menu item that links to the Mission page.
- Now add a second sub-menu item and link it to the āTeamā page.
- Letās add some color. Set a background color on this Navigation block and then change the color of the text in the menu items to something you like.
- Preview your post.
- How was this experience?
Videos
Video 1 ā February 12 (I know this is Feb, but I missed a few that month)
Iām getting confused here. Hereās the link to the Team page. I think thatās a link.
[adding background color to Nav block] Iām just not seeing this.
NOTES:
- The user tried to delete a nav item by clicking into the text and hitting the Delete key on the keyboard. This only deletes the text, but not the item.
- Selecting the Navigation block parent proved too difficult. The user got frustrated which caused them not to see other UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think āhow are they doing thatā and less about what they are doing. parts creating a compounded affect.
Video 2 ā March 10
Iām not quite sure how to change the color.
NOTES:
- This user also tried deleting a nav item by highlighting the text and hitting the Delete key on the keyboard.
Video 3 ā March 17
NOTES:
- Finding the blockās background color proved difficult again, but he eventually found it.
Video 4 ā March 24
Iām still trying to find the Navigation block.
Feedback
As with all the prior videos being shared, please leave some feedback! What are some patterns that pop out to you? What successes do these users have in navigating and creating a post? What challenges become evident in their flowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. Itās an experience vector. Flow isĀ also a feeling. ItāsĀ being unselfconscious and in the zone.Ā Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, youāre thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context
?
As a reminder, if youāre interested in helping with usability testing, thereās a number of things you can try:
- Join the #research channel in slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
- You can write a test script that can be usability tested for Gutenberg.
- Or simply watch the videos and leave some feedback below.
Thanks for watching and contributing anywhere you can.
Help testing WordPress Auto-updates Feature Plugin ā version 0.4 š¹
WordPress Auto-updates feature pluginFeature Plugin A plugin that was created with the intention of eventually being proposed for inclusion in WordPress Core. See Features as Plugins. aims to provide automatic updates for plugins and themes feature as an opt-in feature.
The development takes place on this GitHub repository.
WordPress developers are welcome to contribute to this project by testing the feature plugin. Our goal is to ship the feature in WordPress 5.5.
We are particularly looking for design, copy or accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both ādirect accessā (i.e. unassisted) and āindirect accessā meaning compatibility with a personās assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) review, as well as UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think āhow are they doing thatā and less about what they are doing./UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think āwhat they are doingā and less about how they do it. feedback.
Websites owners testing
If you want to contribute to this feature by testing the betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party, please install the feature plugin:
Plugins screen
Then, you are invited to navigate to the WP-Admin Plugins screen. The following actions are available for websites administrators:
- Set up auto-updates on a plugin-by-plugin basis. Use the last column of the list table to se up plugins auto-updates.
- FilterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. plugins that are set up for auto-updates or not. Use the filters available on the top of the screen to filter plugins.
- Bulk Edit. Using the first columnās checkboxes, bulk enable or disable plugins autoupdates.
![](https://web.archive.org./web/20200519111125im_/https://make.wordpress.org/test/files/2020/04/wp-auto-updates-2-plugins-1024x897.png)
Themes screen
Then, you can go through the WP-Admin Themes screen:
- Set up auto-updates on a theme-by-theme basis. Open the theme modal and enable auto-updates for the selected theme.
![](https://web.archive.org./web/20200519111125im_/https://make.wordpress.org/test/files/2020/04/wp-auto-updates-3-themes-1024x545.png)
Updates screen
Once you have tested the above features, please navigate to Dashboard > Updates admin screen. If you previously enabled auto-updates on some plugins or themes and if they are still not updated, the next scheduled update will appear.
![](https://web.archive.org./web/20200519111125im_/https://make.wordpress.org/test/files/2020/04/wp-auto-updates-5-update-screen-1024x883.png)
Email notifications
Once a plugin or a theme is automatically updated, youāll receive an email notification. Example:
![](https://web.archive.org./web/20200519111125im_/https://make.wordpress.org/test/files/2020/04/wp-auto-updates-7-email-notification.png)
MultisiteMultisite Multisite is a WordPress feature which allows users to create a network of sites on a single WordPress installation. Available since WordPress version 3.0, Multisite is a continuation of WPMU or WordPress Multiuser project. WordPress MultiUser project was discontinued and its features were included into WordPress core.https://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network. installations
This plugin aims to support multisite installations. It pretty the same, except concerning Themes updates, because the themes screen is slightly different for multisites. Please test everything works properly.
Themes screen on multisite:
![](https://web.archive.org./web/20200519111125im_/https://make.wordpress.org/test/files/2020/04/wp-auto-updates-4-multsite-themes-1024x649.png)
Plugins authors
Please report any compatibility issue.
We are particularly interested by feedback from plugins that already handle themes and plugins automatic updates.
Please share your thoughts by commenting this Post or on the GitHub repository.
All contributions will be properly credited.
Thanks! ā„ļø
Gutenberg Usability Testing for January 2020
I know this is a bit late, but Iāve got several usability tests to share from January 2020. I spent that month looking into the Columns blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. in GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses āblocksā to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/. The Gutenberg Team has been making several changes to help the experience and these videos can help continue the improvements.
This particular test proved to be quite difficult and long due to the nature of the Columns block. Next time around Iāll be sure to limit the set of tasks.
Testing script
Imagine youāve just been tasked with creating a webpage about pies. WordPress offers a Columns block in its new block-based editor. This is what youāll focus on during this usability test. Letās create a webpage about pies using the Columns block!
- Log in.
- Create a new post.
- Add a title to your post.
- Under the title add a Separator block. Once it is added, make sure you set it to āwide.ā
- Next, add a Columns block to the page, and choose the 3-column setting.
- In the left column, add an Image block and set the image to be a pie.
-
In the middle column, add this text:
- Key lime pie withdrawal
- Not as easy as it sounds
- Especially if you are totally addicted.
- I can walk past pumpkin all day long
- And not dig into it with a tablespoon.
- If it has whipped cream, I might take a bite.
- Who am I kidding?
- Letās put it where it lives.
- If it has sugar, it is mine.
- And get out of the way!
- In the right column, add another Image block with another picture of a pie.
- Set the right columnās width to 20%.
- Set the left columnās width to 40%.
- Did you notice anything change when you did that? Check the right column again and readjust the width to 20% if needed.
- In this right column, change it so the image aligns to the bottom of the column.
- Below this Columns block, add a Cover block.
- Set the background image to be another picture of a pie.
- Add a Columns block inside this Cover block, and choose the 2-column setting.
- Make the left column width 70%.
- In the right column, add the text āPIESā and change the font to be āLarge.ā
- Below the Cover block, add another Columns block with 2 columns.
- In the left column, add the text, āWhen Aliceās Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.ā
- In the right column, add the text, āSuddenly, the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat. Everyone wants to be the next big pie-contest winner, and itās making them pie-crazy. Itās up to Alice and her friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: Friendship. Family. And the pleasure of doing something for the right reason.ā
- Preview your post, and then publish it.
Videos
Video 1 (Jan 8)
The change sign (block transform icon) made me think I was restarting something.
[looking at the multiple + icons everywhere] āIt looks like I have multiple columns now. I donāt know what went wrong with this.ā
The user struggled with adjusting the width of a single column. It was not clear how to do that.
Itās really hard to find how to adjust the width of this.
Video 2 (Jan 15)
[trying to select the single column block] How do you stop selecting the image?
To me itās not clear. How do I select the column?
Video 3 (Jan 22)
Iāve never used this software before and Iām not sure how to set the column width.
Up to this point, everyone who has tried to add a Cover block below the Columns block has just added the block inside one of the Columns under the image. At this point things start falling apart because itās just too many blocks inside a narrow space.
Video 4 (Jan 29)
I canāt find where I can do this. [setting column width]
The instructions were very hard to follow. Itās hard to know where to look and what to click on.
Feedback
As with all the prior videos being shared, please leave some feedback! What are some patterns that pop out to you? What successes do these users have in navigating and creating a post? What challenges become evident in their flowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. Itās an experience vector. Flow isĀ also a feeling. ItāsĀ being unselfconscious and in the zone.Ā Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.Flow is the actual user experience, in many ways. If you like, you can think of flow as a really comprehensive set of user stories. When you think about user flow, youāre thinking about exactly how a user will perform the tasks allowed by your product.Flow and Context
?
As a reminder, if youāre interested in helping with usability testing, thereās a number of things you can try:
- Join the #research channel in slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
- You can write a test script that can be usability tested for Gutenberg.
- Or simply watch the videos and leave some feedback below.
Thanks for watching and contributing anywhere you can.