Joshua Wold: On The Importance of Onboarding to WordPress Plugins, Themes and Tools

In this podcast, I interview Joshua Wold, a designer who focuses on helping companies improve their onboarding in WordPress. Joshua explains that onboarding is the process of ensuring that users have a smooth experience when they first use a software product. He emphasizes the importance of exceeding user expectations during the initial moments of using a plugin or software. Joshua discusses some common problems with onboarding, such as the lack of clear instructions or confusing settings in WordPress plugins. He suggests implementing an installation wizard or providing a short video tutorial to guide users through the initial setup. He also emphasizes the need to balance the promotion of paid features with a good user experience, ensuring that users understand the value they will get from upgrading. The conversation moves on to the broader topic of improving the WordPress ecosystem as a whole. Joshua mentions the need for clearer onboarding in WordPress itself and the importance of hosting companies in facilitating a smoother user experience. He also highlights the benefits of open-source software, such as the ability to iterate and improve quickly. Overall, the podcast provides insights into the challenges of onboarding in WordPress and offers practical suggestions for improving the user experience.