User Experience Analysis Report - 2026-01-29

[github-actions[bot]]

Executive Summary

Today's analysis focused on:

• 2 documentation files (Quick Start, Frontmatter Reference)
• 2 workflow message configurations (Delight, Issue Triage Agent)
• 1 validation file (Engine Validation)

Overall Quality: ⚠️ Needs Minor Work - Generally professional with targeted improvement opportunities

Key Finding: Documentation demonstrates strong technical completeness but could benefit from improved progressive disclosure and user journey clarity in high-traffic getting-started content.

Quality Highlights ✅

Example 1: Frontmatter Reference - Comprehensive Technical Documentation

• File: docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter.md
• What works well:
  • Excellent technical completeness with all configuration options documented
  • Clear examples with code blocks for each feature
  • Well-structured hierarchy with consistent section organization
  • Professional tone appropriate for reference documentation
  • Helpful cross-references to related documentation
• Quote/Reference: Lines 8-27 provide clear structure: "The frontmatter combines standard GitHub Actions properties... with GitHub Agentic Workflows-specific elements"

Example 2: Issue Triage Agent - Professional Workflow Messages

• File: .github/workflows/issue-triage-agent.md
• What works well:
  • Clear, actionable template with progressive disclosure using <details> tags
  • Professional tone with helpful context for users
  • Structured format that balances visibility and detail
  • Good use of h3 headings and collapsible sections
• Quote/Reference: Lines 28-60 show well-structured comment template with clear sections

Improvement Opportunities 💡

High Priority

Opportunity 1: Quick Start - Improve Information Hierarchy and Flow

File: docs/src/content/docs/setup/quick-start.md

Current State: The Quick Start guide mixes prerequisite checking, installation, configuration, and usage all at the same level (Lines 16-105). The "Prerequisites" section comes after an introductory paragraph about the workflow goal, and the guide doesn't use progressive disclosure for optional information.

Issue:

• Design Principle: Efficiency and Productivity - Minimize cognitive load
• The flat structure makes it difficult for users to quickly determine "Can I use this?" vs "How do I use this?"
• Prerequisites appear after the introduction, forcing users to read explanatory content before knowing if they can proceed
• No clear visual separation between required vs optional content
• The "Going further" section (lines 65-92) is extensive but not collapsed, adding scrolling overhead

User Impact: New users must scroll through extensive customization options even when they just want to complete the basic setup

Proposed Changes:

1. Move prerequisites to the top (before line 8) with a "Time to complete" callout
2. Add "What You'll Build" section with core description visible and details collapsed
3. Collapse customization section (lines 65-92) into a <details> tag

View Detailed Improvement Proposal

Before (Lines 7-16):

## Adding an Automated Daily Status Workflow to Your Repo

In this guide you will add the automated [**Daily Repo Status Report**]...

Remember the aim here is _automated AI_: to install something that will run...

There are hundreds of other ways to use GitHub Agentic Workflows...

## Prerequisites

After:

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

- ✅ **AI Account** - A [GitHub Copilot](https://github.com/features/copilot) subscription, or API key
- ✅ **GitHub Repository** - Maintainer access required
- ✅ **GitHub Actions** - Enabled in your repository
- ✅ **GitHub CLI** (`gh`) - [Install here](https://cli.github.com) v2.0.0+
- ✅ **Operating System**: Linux, macOS, or Windows with WSL

**Time to complete**: ~5 minutes

## What You'll Build

In this guide you'll add an automated [**Daily Repo Status Report**] that runs automatically every day.

<details>
<summary><b>About This Workflow</b></summary>

The Daily Repo Status Report analyzes:
- Recent repository activity
- Progress tracking and highlights
- Project status and recommendations
- Actionable next steps

</details>

## Installation Steps

Then move customization content into a collapsible section.

Opportunity 2: Engine Validation - Improve Error Message Actionability

File: pkg/workflow/engine_validation.go

Current State: Error message at line 69 provides a list of valid engines but doesn't explain why this matters or provide context about the engine field location.

Issue:

• Design Principle: Trust and Reliability - Clear error messages with actionable solutions
• Error message is technically correct but lacks context about where to fix the problem
• Doesn't explain what an "engine" is or why it's required
• Example shows the fix but doesn't clarify the workflow structure

User Impact: Users encountering this error may not immediately understand where the engine: field should be placed in their workflow

View Detailed Improvement Proposal

Before (Line 69):

return fmt.Errorf("invalid engine: %s. Valid engines are: copilot, claude, codex, custom. Example: engine: copilot", engineID)

After:

return fmt.Errorf("invalid engine '%s'. The engine field specifies which AI provider processes your workflow instructions. Valid options: copilot, claude, codex, custom. Add to workflow frontmatter:\n\n---\nengine: copilot\n---\n\nSee (redacted) for details", engineID)

Why Better: Explains what, why, where, and how to fix in one clear message.

Files Reviewed

Documentation

• docs/src/content/docs/setup/quick-start.md - Rating: ⚠️ (needs improved information hierarchy)
• docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter.md - Rating: ✅ (excellent reference documentation)

Workflow Messages

• .github/workflows/delight.md - Rating: ✅ (professional, clear structure)
• .github/workflows/issue-triage-agent.md - Rating: ✅ (good use of progressive disclosure)

Validation Code

• pkg/workflow/engine_validation.go - Rating: ⚠️ (error messages could be more actionable)

Metrics

• Files Analyzed: 5
• Quality Distribution:
  • ✅ Professional: 3 (60%)
  • ⚠️ Needs Minor Work: 2 (40%)
  • ❌ Needs Significant Work: 0 (0%)

🎯 Actionable Tasks

Task 1: Improve Quick Start Information Hierarchy

File to Modify: docs/src/content/docs/setup/quick-start.md

Proposed Actions:

1. Move prerequisites to the top with "Time to complete" callout
2. Add "What You'll Build" section with collapsed details
3. Collapse customization section (lines 65-92) into <details> tag

Why This Matters:

• User Impact: Reduces time-to-first-success by immediately showing prerequisites
• Quality Factor: Clarity and Precision - Users immediately know if they can proceed
• Frequency: Primary onboarding document for all new users (highest traffic)

Success Criteria:

• Prerequisites appear before any explanatory content
• "Time to complete" added to prerequisites section
• Customization options wrapped in <details> tag
• "What You'll Build" section with collapsed details added
• Quality rating improves from ⚠️ to ✅

Scope: Single file only - can be completed independently in 1-2 hours

---

Task 2: Enhance Engine Validation Error Message

File to Modify: pkg/workflow/engine_validation.go

Proposed Change:
Replace line 69 error message to include:

• Explanation of what "engine" means
• Frontmatter structure in example
• Documentation URL for details
• Professional, educational tone

Why This Matters:

• User Impact: Reduces support burden with complete context (what, why, where, how)
• Quality Factor: Trust and Reliability - Error becomes educational
• Frequency: Common error for new workflow authors (high impact)

Success Criteria:

• Error message explains what "engine" means
• Frontmatter structure shown in example
• Documentation URL included
• Message maintains professional tone
• Quality rating improves from ⚠️ to ✅

Scope: Single file only - can be completed independently in 30 minutes

---

Historical Context

This is the first run of the Delight Agent with the updated enterprise-focused analysis approach.

Analysis Approach:

• Targeted sampling: 1-2 files per category (not exhaustive)
• Single-file improvement constraint enforced
• Enterprise software design principles applied
• Progressive disclosure and professional communication prioritized

Next Steps:

• Track task completion in subsequent runs
• Build historical trend data
• Expand coverage to additional high-traffic files over time
• Monitor whether improvements are being implemented

AI generated by Delight

• expires on Feb 5, 2026, 8:43 AM UTC