Wp-calypso: Nav Unification - method to opt out of Calypso links

[getdave]

Many of our paying customers use WPAdmin. As a result of the Nav Unification project many of the links in the WPAdmin "view" will now point to their Calypso equivalent meaning that these customers will be "forced" to use Calypso. This is likely going to cause concern for these users.

As a result, we need to create an opt-out mechanism which allows WPAdmin power users to force all links to be wp-admin rather than Calypso.

We need to check what to do with links that are totally hidden in nav-unification, we are showing them when user opts out of calypso links or not? eg Settings -> Writing

[getdave]

FYI @davemart-in - how would you see this working? Some kind of account wide setting? Would it live on Calypso or WPAdmin? @Automattic/ajax team any ideas?

[cpapazoglou]

Facts:
1) We cannot completely avoid calypso links as there are not wp-admin equivalents for some calypso screens (eg Plans)
2) In case the user opts-out of Calypso links, the admin menu endpoint should return a variation of the menu which will contain the new links
3) Opting-out should be as easy as opting-in again
4) This setting should be reachable both from calypso and wp-admin

I suppose a User Account wide setting is more appropriate (like colour schemes), so that Users with multiple sites have the same experience while switching sites.

[davemart-in]

From my perspective:

• This toggle is only for screens which have both a Calypso and a wp-admin variation (e.g. posts list, pages list, media, etc...) We'll likely need some support copy above the toggle to clarify what it does (cc @sfougnier)
• I'm happy for this toggle to live in a single location (vs. in Calypso AND wp-admin). I'll cc @sfougnier for where that might be.
• I agree that if the user opts-out of Calypso links, the admin menu endpoint should return a variation of the menu which will contain the alternate wp-admin links
• I agree that opting-out should be as easy as opting-in again

[obenland]

Worth mentioning that even if that toggle is set to wp-admin, there will still be Calypso links in the admin menu. The plugins screen on Simple sites for example, or the Domains setting screen for all customers.

the admin menu endpoint should return a variation of the menu which will contain the alternate wp-admin links

The exact technical underpinnings are probably not too important right now, but I currently have the endpoint just return whatever the admin menu gives it. This logic would be in the menu structure class that I'm currently working on.

[sfougnier]

This toggle is only for screens which have both a Calypso and a wp-admin variation (e.g. posts list, pages list, media, etc...)

Worth mentioning that even if that toggle is set to wp-admin, there will still be Calypso links in the admin menu. The plugins screen on Simple sites for example, or the Domains setting screen for all customers.

I've been mulling this feature over and I think I am still unclear _why_ a user would want to do this. I could see if every Calypso screen had a corresponding wp-admin counterpart, but having a mix of 2 separate interfaces seems to only create a more disjointed experience. Is there a particular use case I'm not seeing @davemart-in @lcollette @rickybanister ?

I'm happy for this toggle to live in a single location (vs. in Calypso AND wp-admin).

If we choose to move forward with this, I agree this makes sense. I imagine this would need to be placed in account settings, near/below the color scheme selections (with some more descriptive copy).

[cpapazoglou]

I am still unclear why a user would want to do this.

@sfougnier I suppose that the most common problem is that not all the features are exposed in calypso screens. For example in the following posts page, there is no ability for bulk actions in calypso whereas in wp-admin there is.

[davemart-in]

I am still unclear why a user would want to do this.

Yep, it boils down to 3 things, loosely prioritized below:

1. Personal preference - especially for pro users who tend to pay us more money.
2. As @cpapazoglou points out, there is some functionality only available in the wp-admin version of these screens.
3. Atomic customers may have plugins installed which extend the wp-admin versions of these screens which they don't want to lose out on.

[lcollette]

I'm with @sfougnier in being unclear on the use case and whether a toggle is the best way to solve for this. Rather than adding a toggle, I wonder if we might first understand what about our current experience necessitates a toggle and how we might reconcile those differences for a long term win.

1. Personal preference - especially for pro users who tend to pay us more money.

Is there data that shows pro users have a personal preference for one UI over the other?

1. As @cpapazoglou points out, there is some functionality only available in the wp-admin version of these screens.

It would be great to have a source of truth about the differences between screens so we can be more intentional in our unification efforts (on the Design side). I know bulk editing is one of those features. What else?

1. Atomic customers may have plugins installed which extend the wp-admin versions of these screens which they don't want to lose out on.

Is there an example of a plugin that extends the wp-admin version of these screens so we can see this in context?

[rickybanister]

It's also worth understanding whether customers would want to default their entire account experience to one set of links to the other, or do this on a per site basis. I realize we settled on an account-level setting for color schemes, but I think it's worth asking for this setting as well.

[sfougnier]

Is there a comprehensive list of what screens this will affect? It may be helpful to evaluate those all together and determine if there's a better way to solve this.

[cpapazoglou]

@sfougnier

Is there a comprehensive list of what screens this will affect? It may be helpful to evaluate those all together and determine if there's a better way to solve this.

All links mentioned in https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i640dQt4vs2XYgqRA4YEH69ssR9UNcFJx49HUss0-q0/edit#gid=0 with a checkmark in _Screen affected by not offering a /wp-admin alternative_ column.

@lcollette

It would be great to have a source of truth about the differences between screens so we can be more intentional in our unification efforts (on the Design side). I know bulk editing is one of those features. What else?

I believe the problem is mostly in posts / pages due to bulk actions, sorting options, inline actions (added by plugins), and alerts/notifications (added by plugins missing). The rest of the features missing can be found through comparing these screens. I don't believe we have a missing features list in hand (do we @davemart-in ?)

wp-admin | Calypso
-------|------
|

Is there an example of a plugin that extends the wp-admin version of these screens so we can see this in context?

eg adding a page builder plugin, shows an inline action

or as shown above, plugins can register actions / notices

[sfougnier]

I'd like to propose that we keep the opt-out feature account-specific rather than site-specific.

• It can exist along with other interface settings such as the color scheme
• It becomes a user's personal choice rather than a site-specific choice that may impact other users that may be interacting with it.
• It allows for a more unified user experience, either leaning toward Calypso or wp-admin across all a user's sites.

I imagine for this first iteration this could exist as some kind of settings toggle within the Me - Account Settings page. In future iterations, I think we could further consider this feature and its relationship with the interface.

[lcollette]

Smart solution, @sfougnier! The placement within settings, alongside color schemes, feels right.

Could color schemes fit under Interface settings? Maybe language too?

[sfougnier]

Thanks, @lcollette! Splitting this out into its own interface-related section on this screen could help make these options a bit more scannable: