Currently issue creation is pretty daunting. When the user clicks on add an issue she's presented with a huge form, and no instructions. We've discussed this in the context of the Dobson group, and I'm transferring the thoughts that came out of that discussion to github issues now.
There are several things that we can which are guaranteed to help make issue creation easier:
Split up the issue making process into steps:
a) user creates a title and short description / summary
b) user adds tags and optionally uploads an image
c) user optionally adds text to the isuse body
only step a) is required to add an issue
Use a rich text editor, so that users see their text in the same font and formatting as the issue will actually appear, and so that they don't need to learn markdown in order to format their issue
Don't require the user to login in order to start creating the issue. Prompt them to login when they want to save the issue.
It's too easy to loose your work -- use some kind of auto-saving feature, tied to user session (and so not necessarily requiring login)
Provide a way for people to collaborate on an issue draft before the issue is published.
Provide nice (but short) instructions / prompts that guide the user through the process.
Currently issue creation is pretty daunting. When the user clicks on
add an issueshe's presented with a huge form, and no instructions. We've discussed this in the context of the Dobson group, and I'm transferring the thoughts that came out of that discussion to github issues now.There are several things that we can which are guaranteed to help make issue creation easier: