Automatically wire in visual reviews in review apps
Problem to solve
Setting up visual reviews requires modifying your application to provide a <script>
element containing the merge request ID, otherwise we have to prompt for it (https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/review_apps/index.html#configuring-visual-reviews). For people who haven't set it up yet, we prompt for the merge request ID in order to make it usable in a kind of demo mode.
One gap here is that our own sample applications (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/project-templates and https://gitlab.com/pages) don't come with this wired in. There really isn't any reason that that's the case, and by doing so we make it easier to use this feature as well as provide better examples of how to do it.
Intended users
The intent of this feature is it gets more end users like Parker and Presley using the Visual Reviews. This is enabled by auto-wiring in the <script>
so that Sasha (Software Developer) doesn't have to.
Further details
Another idea could be to try to modify the application in the repository automatically, but this has a lot of complexity (it's different under every framework and language, and there are risks modifying the code in case we make a mistake.)
Proposal
Update our sample projects to come with visual reviews pre-configured. We should update the README.md files to indicate that it is enabled and how to remove it.
Permissions and Security
Documentation
Documentation will need to be updated to note that the templates come with this included and how to disable if users do not want the functionality there.
Testing
- We will need to test all the templates to ensure this works
- Instructions for removal will need to be validated.
What does success look like, and how can we measure that?
This feature is intended to increase the number of review apps that can make use of Visual Review tools. Success will be measured by the number of times review apps are launched along side visual reviews and we expect a 10% or greater improvement 30 days after this feature is launched.
What is the type of buyer?
The buyer of this feature is a manager or director overseeing one or many feature teams creating many new projects from GitLab templates. They know that having this feature auto-wired in means that all of those projects can now have richer feedback from the product managers and designers working with the teams.
Links / references
Context from product scaling agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nMJzrDfG7C14WP5v7P226oPFuXkwqIk7bdIT8ai0DNU/edit?ts=5d84fb07&skip_itp2_check=true&pli=1#bookmark=id.n0y50cou73gg
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