## Summary Conduct a focused audit of banners (Pajamas components banners, alerts, broadcast messages) in GitLab's onboarding and new user experience to identify opportunities for deletion, consolidation, and improvement. This is Phase 1 of a broader banner cleanup initiative addressing the 753+ banner instances currently in the product. ## Problem GitLab has 753+ banner (Pajamas components: banners, alerts, broadcast messages) instances across the product with no orchestration, leading to banner stacking and poor user experience. New users are particularly vulnerable to banner overload during their first experience with GitLab, which impacts first impressions and retention. **Hypothesis:** Onboarding and new user experience is where banner problems are most acute and damaging. ## Goals 1. Identify banners, alerts, broadcast messages that appear during new user onboarding and registration flows 2. Document banner, alert, and broadcast message stacking issues and user experience problems 3. Provide actionable recommendations for deletions, consolidations, and relocations 4. Create proof of concept for broader cleanup approach 5. Deliver fast, visible improvements to new user experience ## Scope ### In Scope **Registration & Onboarding Flow:** - Account creation and signup process - Email verification screens - Initial project setup - First repository creation - Welcome/getting started experiences - Trial activation flows **Core DevOps Golden Journey (Critical Path):** - Create project - Add code to repository - Create first merge request - Set up CI/CD pipeline - Deploy/Release flow **Specific Banner Review:** - [31 onboarding-related banners identified in audit spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LPliIkAf2IDLuYPRJhQMAbW3My8j0Mg5yPARQiHP9Cc/edit?usp=sharing) - Any additional banners discovered during flow walkthrough ### Out of Scope - Experienced user flows - Admin/settings areas - Error state banners (unless on critical path) - Deep features beyond golden journey - Design System component changes - Building the long-term orchestration system (separate epic) ## Approach **Week 1: Registration & Immediate Onboarding** Activities: 1. Create fresh test accounts to simulate new user experience 2. Walk through complete registration flow with fresh eyes 3. Document every banner that appears with screenshots 4. Note stacking issues, confusing messaging, or unnecessary noise Deliverables: - Screenshots of banner stacking issues - List of all banners encountered with categorization - Initial recommendations for quick wins **Week 2: Golden Journey Critical Path** Activities: 1. Walk through Core DevOps golden journey as new user 2. Document banners at each critical step 3. Assess which banners help vs. hinder task completion 4. Review the [31 specific banners from audit spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LPliIkAf2IDLuYPRJhQMAbW3My8j0Mg5yPARQiHP9Cc/edit?usp=sharing) 5. Cross-reference findings with support tickets or user complaints (if available) Deliverables: - Screenshots of banner stacking issues - List of all banners encountered with categorization - Initial recommendations for quick wins ## Follow-up Actions After audit completion: 1. Present findings to leadership (CPMO, CPO) 2. Create individual issues for each recommended deletion/change 3. Assign to appropriate stage groups for execution 4. Use learnings to inform Phase 2 (Designer Hackathon) 5. Track execution and measure impact Related: [Long-term solution banner management system](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-operating-model/-/work_items/618)