Nathan Wrigley interviews Johanne Courtright, a WordPress developer who moved from marketing agency work and static HTML to building advanced Gutenberg solutions. Johanne began using WordPress in 2011, embraced Advanced Custom Fields and custom post types, and developed a specialty in extending WordPress through custom queries, forms, CRM integrations, APIs, and more recently, the block editor and React.
Adopting Gutenberg and React
Johanne started using Gutenberg early but had to learn React to build custom blocks. After taking courses and experimenting at agencies, she eventually committed fully to Gutenberg, using the Interactivity API and avoiding jQuery where possible. Her goal: embrace the modern stack and build solutions that solve real agency needs rather than reverting to older tooling.
Why Groundworx?
From agency experience, Johanne found the default block editor “good enough” for many users but lacking critical features agencies require: predictable breakpoints, more refined responsive control, consistent color palettes, and UX efficiencies. Groundworx is her open-source project aimed at enhancing core blocks and adding agency-focused blocks and templates to fill those gaps without overly duplicating Core functionality.
Philosophy: Extend, Don’t Replace
Johanne’s intent is not to replace core blocks wholesale but to extend and enhance them—adding needed controls while avoiding conflicts with Core. She balances adding agency-level features (like breakpoint control and full-height sticky groups) with keeping options simple so non-technical users aren’t overwhelmed. Much of her approach relies on theme.json and flexible block HTML that can be styled and rearranged with CSS grid rather than hardcoding behaviors.
Agency Needs vs. Core Scope
Agencies demand pixel-perfect layouts, flexible breakpoints, branded color presets, and efficiency for content editors. Johanne points out the 80/20 reality: many users only need basic editing, while agencies need finer control. If a feature benefits a broad majority it belongs in Core; otherwise it’s best handled via plugins or project-specific blocks. Groundworx aims at that 20%: designers and developers who need fine tuning.
How Groundworx Works
Groundworx includes two types of contributions:
– Custom blocks: New blocks that implement behaviors Core doesn’t provide (e.g., responsive tabs that transform into accordions at a chosen breakpoint, media split/content blocks, cards with reveal effects).
– Extensions to core blocks: Enhancements to existing blocks so they can support agency workflows—three breakpoints for headings and paragraphs, reversible stack order, responsive settings per breakpoint, column counts responsive to breakpoints, and video block performance optimizations.
Johanne explains that many of these are not Core priorities and were never intended features of Gutenberg. So she built them rather than waiting. She’s cautious to not interfere with Core but reverse-engineered blocks to learn and implement compatible extensions.
Block-based Themes and Theme.json
Johanne prefers to control foundational presentation through light themes with theme.json, minimal CSS and JavaScript, and most functionality moved into plugins. She creates key names and labels in theme.json that allow quick theme swaps—change variables and colors, not keys. This keeps clients from being locked into a theme and lets designers swap palettes and fonts easily.
She wishes theme.json supported custom keys or arbitrary variables so developers could register more semantic palette or component variables (e.g., multiple navigation color roles) and have blocks automatically use them rather than hand-injecting CSS variables.
Navigation and Interactivity API
Navigation was a major Groundworx focus. Johanne built a navigation solution that stores reusable block structures in a custom post type (similar to Core’s approach) but with more customizable behaviors and HTML structure. She implemented mobile/desktop behavior that gracefully falls back and uses the Interactivity API for dynamic UI without heavy JavaScript frameworks. Her navigation supports a full-height vertical mode that can be toggled by breakpoint and collapses to a top bar at other sizes.
Learning Curve and Adoption
A consistent theme is that Gutenberg requires a different mindset and a steep learning curve for developers used to classic workflows or to page builders like Elementor. While page builders solve many problems and are familiar to many users, they introduce markup bloat and styling battles. Gutenberg’s approach—lean markup, override-friendly classes, and reliance on theme.json—requires developers to reverse-engineer and re-learn theming for better long-term outcomes.
Johanne says once agencies commit to learning Gutenberg and reverse-engineering Core patterns, they appreciate the flexibility and lower maintenance. However, many developers find the jump overwhelming, and that’s a bottleneck for broader adoption.
Blocks as Products and the Plugin Ecosystem
Johanne sells parts of Groundworx commercially but prioritizes building tools she uses herself. She doesn’t expect instant riches; she builds for her needs and the community benefits if others adopt her work. On the broader ecosystem, she criticizes the WordPress plugin and theme directory’s discoverability: search is poor, categories and filters are limited, and it’s hard for new block-based products to surface. She’d like the directory to highlight modern features (Gutenberg support, Interactivity API, no jQuery) so users can find blocks that match modern best practices.
Future of Block Businesses
Nathan asks whether anyone has built a truly successful standalone block business. Johanne believes the market is nascent; blocks represent a new application model and discovery is key. Better curation, improved plugin/theme directory search, featured showcases, and clearer metadata about modern block support would help businesses gain visibility and traction.
Advice and Final Thoughts
Johanne recommends embracing Core’s vision rather than adding another platform on top. She builds flexible blocks that can be rearranged by grid and styled through variables so they remain adaptable. Her ideal is a lightweight theme foundation and plugins that provide the functionality—allowing easy theme swaps and preventing clients from becoming locked into a specific theme or bloated builder.
Where to Find Groundworx
Groundworx is available at groundworx.dev. Johanne also hangs out on X where she engages with the WordPress community. She encourages improvement of plugin/theme discoverability on WordPress.org and continued exploration of block-based workflows. Her work demonstrates how agency-driven demands can push the block editor forward while staying aligned with Core’s long-term goals.
