If you ever deliver a project based on WordPress to a client where you only created a single user with an administrator role, you may have developed an unbalanced solution.
WordPress has a front — the public site — and a back — the dashboard. Both offer tools to be modified and designed to match the project needs, yet often 99% of the work goes into the public site.
But for a project to be useful needs to be used, so how it will be used, which user roles will be involved, and how we design the back of our tools do matter.
Some things you should consider working on:
- UI/UX of dashboard forms for customised content, either in custom-developed plugins, custom post types, or custom fields on posts and pages
- User roles profile with different users associated with different roles, with tailored access and permissions fitting the client’s needs and team, including the removal of unnecessary items in the dashboard to provide a more focused and comprehensive experience
- Appropriate security measures making unauthorised access more difficult, and an active update protocol for WordPress and all plugins involved
When we offer development as a service, how we understand and adapt our solution to the client is a huge part of our value. The product is not the website but our service. And when working in-house, being aware of the process and how we optimise tools for the way our company uses them should be a priority.
Think about the last project you developed using WordPress and how much — or how little — you worked on its back. And if it was very unbalanced, take some time to analyse what aspects you could have improved, so you are ready for your next project.