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[UX] Onboarding, installer experience, and help #111

@erikdarlingdata

Description

@erikdarlingdata

Summary

First-time users face friction at multiple points: no post-install guidance, no first-run wizard, CLI installer fails without interactive mode, and in-app help is minimal.

Source: Comprehensive themed agent review (UX Designer)

User Journey Pain Points

  1. Installer completes → "Now what?" (no next steps)
  2. Dashboard opens → empty page, must re-enter server details (already provided to installer!)
  3. Lite adds server → blank data for 1-5 minutes with no feedback
  4. Tab names not self-explanatory → users learn by trial and error

Checklist

Post-Install Experience

  • Add post-installation checklist to installer output (next steps)
  • Consider auto-launching Dashboard after install with setup wizard
  • Pre-populate server field with installation target server

CLI Installer

  • Add interactive mode when no arguments provided (Q&A prompts)
  • Show usage/help when args are invalid (not just "Invalid arguments")
  • Add progress indicator for long operations
  • Show exit codes in CLI output (currently only in README)
  • Add --verbose flag for debugging

GUI Installer

  • Auto-scroll log to show latest messages
  • Highlight connection test result prominently (green pass / red fail)
  • Add "Cancel Installation" button with confirmation
  • Enable Troubleshoot button before install (pre-install diagnostics)

In-App Help

  • Add tooltips on tab names: "Resource Metrics: CPU, I/O, memory pressure"
  • Add collector descriptions in Lite Settings schedule grid
  • Show data retention info: "Current database size: X MB"
  • Add MCP tools list in Settings ("With MCP enabled, Claude Code can: ...")
  • Add "Test MCP Server" button

Documentation

  • Document minimum SQL Server permissions required (VIEW SERVER STATE)
  • Document data retention policy in-app (not just README)
  • Add "Getting Started" section in About dialog

Priority

Tier 3 - Medium

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