Session: Extending core: how to architect new features and simplify workflows

Date: Friday, August 2, 2024
Time: 11:00 - 11:45 am (EDT) (UTC-04:00)
Location: Room 1 (McShain)
Format: General Lecture Session
Subjects: Accessibility, Content, Usability, JavaScript, Development

Who is this session for?

Content, Developer, Project Management, UX

Session description

Are you planning to introduce new features for your network of WordPress sites?

Human Made recently collaborated with the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official news outlet, to transform and modernize their digital presence. Their goals included building in new methods of storytelling, simplifying the editorial experience for their writers, and ensuring that it was easy to stay within their new design system.

In this talk, I’ll walk you through some examples of new features and for each one discuss:

  • how we decided whether to use a plugin, create a pattern, extend core functionality, or build a custom block
  • what we did to make the editorial experience intuitive
  • how we allowed for creativity within the bounds of the design system

I hope to empower you to make informed decisions when planning out new features. Come learn how to do more with core functionality and when and how to extend it!

Presenter

Joeleen Kennedy

Headshot of Joeleen Kennedy
Senior Web Engineer, Human Made

Joeleen is a Senior Web Engineer with Human Made, where she serves as technical and team lead for complex and large-scale WordPress projects. She has been working with WordPress since 2008, using it to solve problems for universities, small businesses, non-profits, and enterprise clients.

Joeleen is excited to combine new technologies with proven web foundations to showcase WordPress's capabilities, and her background in design and fine arts help her bring beauty to each project she touches. Her goal is to make every project beautiful, usable, and accessible.

She currently lives near Raleigh, NC where she hoards fancy yarn, sometimes knits things with it, obsesses over chocolate, and leads her family on adventures.

Sessions

  • General Lecture Session: Extending core: how to architect new features and simplify workflows

Session video