This past spring, the Pew Research Center launched a new digital news platform entirely built with blocks to power their condensed multisite at http://www.pewresearch.org. This initiative goes beyond the mere use of blocks for content and page layout, building upon the Center’s work in drag-and-drop web app creation using the block editor found in their Chart Builder and Quiz Builder plugins. Every system, feature, and functionality on pewresearch.org is a block, from the external user accounts system and login forms to the facets on post archive pages, interactive charts, media downloads, the legal acceptance form for specific media downloads, and newsletter signup forms.

The presentation will cover the key features of the platform, including Block Context Wrappers and Atomic Interactive Blocks. These innovations enable scalable interactivity for blocks, not just from a performance perspective, but also from a developer workload and support standpoint. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the possibilities of blocks and the new WordPress Interactivity API.