My Thoughts on Gutenberg

Based on the features presented in this plugin I’m optimistic on how Gutenberg could be utilized in the future. I understand that this is a work in progress and some of the changes I mentioned could be in the works already.

First, I would like to say that I support the idea of having a front-end content editor. I feel that using a front-end editor makes content writing feel natural and saves time. Doing the basic content editing such as adding headers, creating links, and modifying text felt pretty familiar. Also I feel that a feature like this would be more helpful for clients that I work with that want to be involved with creating content while avoiding the back-end area.

Why I’m Optimistic
Gutenberg has me excited because I have some ideas on how it could be useful for site development for clients. If the options for these modules are extendable it opens up an entire new gateway of how WordPress websites function. You could have more unique layouts but still maintain consistency with use of module templates instead of post / page templates.

For example say you have a custom post type for Team Members and you want feature a list of those team members that incorporate your custom fields for contact information. On part of the site we may want team members to have phone numbers but on another part of the site maybe we only want to display a featured image and a name. By creating an option you could easily turn one on and one off with simple conditionals.

My only true worry of incorporating page builder features is that it makes it easier for people to use features in unintentional ways. This is true especially on larger sites that could have multiple content authors.

Suggestions
Here are a few suggestions that I thought could improve functionality for Gutenberg.

• I would like for the images and other types of media to have drag and drop features to reorganize modules. I feel that this would make the UI more intuitive.
• I would prefer that the Move Up / Move Down option be re-located next to the Gear / Trash Icons. This would reduce amount of movement needed for clicking from one option to the next and it simplifies the UI.
• Keyboard shortcuts would be nice for example using shift and shift+tab to navigate through content sections while using the front-end editor. Also this would be helpful for accessibility.
• The “Insert” button feels a little awkward where it is located in the top right. If this was moved closer to the modules it could reduce extra movement when creating content. It’s also not obvious where your new object will be inserted since there is no indicator