---
title: "WordCamp Lancaster"
date: 2016-03-05
author: "Courtney Robertson"
featured_image: "https://courtneyr.dev/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_8695.avif"
categories:
  - name: "WordPress"
    url: "/category/wptips.md"
tags:
  - name: "wclanc"
    url: "/tag/wclanc.md"
  - name: "WordCamp"
    url: "/tag/wordcamp.md"
---

# WordCamp Lancaster

Notes from WordCamp Lancaster sessions

## Usability Testing – [Anthony D Paul](http://www.stickielab.com)

- Usability tests are conducted to test the usability of our code/site and not testing the users ability. It is our fault, not theirs.
- Validate client assumptions
- User focus is best practice
- Validate client assumptions
- Inform your design decisions (to debate)
- Show success over time
- Grow as a practitioner (ex: hamburger icon)

### Strategy:

- Project constraints + priorities = benefit

### Constraints:

- What is the test budget
- How many tests can we run?
- Who’s in charge of recruitment?
- Do we have demographic requirements?
- Are participants local?

### Testing Options:

- Moderated vs unmoderated
- In-person vs remote
- Desktop vs mobile

### Tools:

- [InVisionApp.com](http://InVisionApp.com)
- [TryMyUI.com](http://www.trymyui.com)

## Understanding Security Holes – [George Stephanis](http://stephanis.info)

- For SQL Injection protection – don’t accept random strings. Be specific. Validate the user input.
- Sanitize early – understand your content. PHP functions or WP functions, custom function or regex
- Escape late – when you output, it may need to escape differently depending what it is going into. Understand the context of how the data is used.
- Focus on the users when you get an error message. Reply to the user ASAP acknowledging that you are looking into it.
- Confirm with the reporter that if you think you fixed the issue that it has for them as well.
- Email <security@wordpress.org> before shipping an update.
- PHP Code Sniffer can catch some insecure code – but automated tools often lead to a false sense of confidence.

## Searching for a better WordPress Search – Russell Heimlich

- WordPress search is notoriously slow, no options or customizations, and has irrelevant results
- WP is not a search engine. Default search is always going to be basic.
- WP searches are sorted by relevancy since 3.7
- Priority in search results: Full sentence matches in post titles, all search terms in post titles, then any terms in post title, then sorted by date
- Plugins: [Relevanssi](https://wordpress.org/plugins/relevanssi/) (search custom post types, taxonomies, fields, and options!), [Google CSE](https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-cse/) (uses Google for the processing, integrates with your theme, index built through crawling, but also pay per number of searches), Russ’s [Search Plugin](https://github.com/kingkool68/searching-for-a-better-wordpress-search) (redirects to Google) and [ElasticPress by 10UP.com](https://github.com/10up/ElasticPress)

## To be continued after lunch….