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IDE extension usability hardening for internal analyst pilot

Problem

The extension's YAML editing, validation, and preview workflows have usability gaps that block non-engineer analysts from completing routine tasks independently. Error messages are developer-oriented (raw stack traces or generic "invalid YAML"), the preview pane doesn't indicate what went wrong when rendering fails, and recovering from errors often requires reloading the extension window. Startup performance on large dbt projects is also slow enough to frustrate impatient users. These issues compound: an analyst who hits two or three confusing failures in a session will stop using the extension entirely. The UX needs to reach a threshold where pilot analysts can complete a weekly dashboard workflow and report it as usable.

Context

  • Top pilot friction points are removed across authoring, preview, and diagnostics flows.
  • Extension startup/performance and failure messaging meet pilot readiness thresholds.
  • At least three pilot analysts complete weekly workflows and give explicit thumbs-up.

Possible Solutions

Plan

  • Run structured usability pass with internal analysts and capture friction log.
  • Implement highest-impact UX fixes with regression coverage.
  • Add in-product guidance/tooltips for common errors and recovery paths.
  • Publish pilot runbook and known-issues tracker with owners.

Implementation Progress

  • task-m1-internal-analyst-ide-flow
  • cloud suite pilot onboarding flows

Review Feedback

  • Review cleared