This is an experimental, in-the-clouds proposal for a future unification of wp-admin and the Gutenberg editor, created in collaboration with Javier Arce. This exploration is an extension of some of our recent work around wp-admin’s Post Type Management screens ☁️

We focused on a single (and probably fairly common) editing flow:

• Adding content to a blank page in the post editor
• Editing a template in the template editor
• Navigating in wp-admin to a “Design” section to make changes to the site’s design and layout

Some of the big ideas we explored were:

• What if there was one file management system to rule them all, something flexible enough to house any type of content whether it be Patterns, Pages, Templates, Themes, etc?
• What if you could reconfigure template areas with an action as easy and intuitive as drag and drop?
• What if wp-admin navigation and FSE navigation were merged into a single sidebar for a more seamless experience when moving between editing a site’s content and design?
• What if there was a “design dashboard” that served as an entry point to the site editor and other design-related sections?
• Could modals be used for navigating between items without needing to leave the editor?
• Can the behavior of the W button be simplified so that it always takes you back to wp-admin in a single click?