Build Charts With AI
Chart creation has long been the most time-consuming part of using Visualizer—choosing the right chart type and tweaking settings until it looks right. With the new AI chart builder, you simply describe what you want and Visualizer builds it for you. Preview live, refine with follow-up prompts, and publish when it looks right.

What you can do:
– Turn a sales spreadsheet into a chart in seconds: upload your data, type “create a bar chart showing monthly revenue by region,” and watch it build live.
– Visualize survey results without manual work: upload a CSV, describe the breakdown you want, and let AI handle it.
– Match your brand without touching settings: mention your brand colors in the prompt and the chart will be styled accordingly.
– Build from a reference image: upload a chart style you like and Visualizer will recreate a similar design with your data.

No coding. No configuration. Just describe it and publish.

[PRO] Native XLSX Import
If you manage data in Excel, importing into Visualizer is now simpler. Drop in an XLSX file and your data loads instantly—no converting to CSV, no copy-pasting, no reformatting. Your data is ready to visualize in seconds.

Grid & List View in the Charts Library
As your chart library grows, finding the right chart becomes harder. Now you can switch between a grid view for a visual overview and a list view for more detail at a glance. One click, your way.

Elementor Widget
If you build with Elementor, there’s now a dedicated Visualizer widget—no workarounds needed. Drop any chart into your page layout, place it where you want, and you’re done. Clean, simple, and integrated into your Elementor workflow.

Fixes and Improvements
We also fixed a handful of bugs: charts not loading on page load, a Chrome scroll glitch, bubble chart crashes on resize, and other minor issues. Check the changelog for the full list.

Ready to Try It?
Update Visualizer from your WordPress dashboard and try the AI chart builder. Not using Visualizer Pro yet? Upgrade today and unlock the full power with a 30-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.

Got questions or feedback? Drop a comment below.

Elliott’s background
– Self-taught developer who started creating websites in the early 1990s.
– Worked at a design agency, later went freelance, used Joomla, Drupal, and b2 before WordPress.
– Active in community meetups and collaborations, including compiling code snippets from around 30 developers for an advent calendar.

The pizza business
– During COVID lockdown Elliott and his wife Rachael started a local pizza delivery service. It began as a temporary community effort but grew into a full-time business employing five staff and a licensing model for others.
– The entire system is built on WordPress, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins. WordPress serves as the glue: handling payments, order flow, geolocation, delivery radius, and time-slot management.
– Elliott developed a freemium plugin, “Pizza Pilot,” with functionality such as:
– Time-based slot booking.
– Delivery radius restriction by postcode.
– Options for collection vs delivery.
– A Pro version will be bundled with licensees. The model is not a franchise but a one-time purchase of the system and training. Rachael handles marketing and filmed the pizza-making course; Elliott handles the plugin and tech.

Working with Automattic and wordpress.com
– Michelle Frechette connected Elliott with Stacey Carlson (Automattic’s Affiliate and Influencer Director). They proposed sponsored videos about wordpress.com and Automattic products.
– That led to further contact with Brit Solata (head of Influence Marketing) and inspiration from Jamie Marsland, head of the wordpress.com YouTube channel.
– Elliott is producing videos throughout 2026 about wordpress.com features and workflows. He’s given early access to features and creates content for his own channel, not the official wordpress.com channel, while aligning with Automattic’s briefs.
– Content will be a mix of long-form educational videos with short-form spin-offs, designed to teach how features work and how to implement them. He plans to simplify complex topics (templating, patterns, template parts, debugging with Xdebug, and AI-related topics) using graphics and analogies.

Creative freedom and feedback loops
– Automattic provides flexible briefs and trusts creators’ judgment. Elliott reports minimal constraints and the chance to highlight new features he’s excited about.
– YouTube’s comment feedback loop inspires future content and is valuable for testing ideas and gathering user reactions. Elliott sees even negative comments as useful feedback.
– Community connections and in-person meetups reveal varied uses of WordPress—gardeners running invoicing systems, for example—highlighting WordPress’s versatility beyond standard websites.

Content creation approach and process
– Elliott scripts loosely—using structured outlines and flashcard-style prompts rather than word-for-word scripts—then records, edits, and refines.
– He values polishing content through iteration and testing explanations on his wife before finalizing.
– Editing and motion graphics: he uses DaVinci Resolve (paid license, but praises the free version’s capabilities) for editing, motion graphics, audio, and color correction. He enjoys learning the tool’s node-based animation system.
– Recording setup is deliberately low-tech: an iPhone for video, simple DIY lighting (a cat-food pouch box with tissue paper diffusing an LED), studio monitors for audio, and a quiet room. He emphasizes that high production value isn’t necessary to start—clarity and teaching are more important.
– He uses voice-to-text for initial brain dumps, refines with AI for polishing, then finalizes scripts and visuals.

Themes and motivations
– Elliott enjoys learning and teaching; he’s driven by curiosity and the satisfaction of simplifying technical topics for others.
– He values creative freedom and has structured his professional life to avoid traditional office constraints.
– His work spans developer-focused technical how-tos and practical walkthroughs for business use (like his pizza system), showing WordPress’s broad applicability.

Practical notes and what’s next
– Videos will cover wordpress.com features, developer tools (like Xdebug in the Studio app), AI-related changes, and practical guidance for building and maintaining sites and systems.
– The arrangement with Automattic runs at least through December 2026, but Elliott continues his own projects and will produce WordPress-related and pizza-related content as relevant (he even uses a dough calculator).

Where to find Elliott
– YouTube: elliottrichmondwp
– Website/blog: elliottrichmond.co.uk (double L, double T in Elliott)

Nathan notes that full show notes and links are on wptavern.com/podcast, including a transcript and links to Elliott’s channels. The episode highlights how WordPress can be the backbone of varied ventures—from technical education to running and licensing a local pizza business—and how community, creativity, and simple tech can combine to make unexpected things possible.

Many tools rushed to add “AI” for the label — we paused, looked for the places where AI would actually help Visualizer users most, and built features that speed your workflow without gimmicks. The latest Visualizer release focuses on meaningful improvements that make charting faster and simpler.

Build Charts With AI

Chart creation has long been the most time-consuming part of using Visualizer: choosing the right chart type and adjusting settings until the result looks right. That’s where the new AI chart builder helps.

Describe what you want and Visualizer builds the chart. Preview it live, refine it with follow-up prompts, and publish when it looks right.

What you can do:
– Turn a sales spreadsheet into a chart in seconds. Upload your data and type something like “create a bar chart showing monthly revenue by region,” and Visualizer builds it.
– Visualize survey results without manual work. Upload a CSV of responses, describe the breakdown you want, and let AI handle the rest.
– Match your brand automatically. Mention your brand colors in the prompt and Visualizer applies them—no manual color picking.
– Build from a reference image. Upload a chart you like as inspiration and Visualizer will create a similar-styled chart using your data.

No coding or configuration — just describe it and publish.

[PRO] Native XLSX Import

If you manage data in Excel, importing into Visualizer is now simpler. Drop an XLSX file directly and your data loads instantly. No converting to CSV, no copy-pasting, no reformatting — your data is ready to visualize in seconds.

Grid & List View in the Charts Library

As your chart library grows, finding the right chart gets harder. You can now switch between a grid view for a visual overview and a list view for more detail at a glance. One click switches the layout to suit your workflow.

Elementor Widget

If you build with Elementor, there’s no need for workarounds anymore. A dedicated Elementor widget lets you drop any Visualizer chart into your page layout. Pick the chart, place it, and you’re done — clean and fully integrated.

A Few Fixes

We also fixed several bugs: charts not loading on page load, a Chrome scroll glitch, bubble chart crashes on resize, and other issues. See the full changelog on our site for details.

Ready to Try It?

Update Visualizer from your WordPress dashboard and try the AI chart builder.

Not using Visualizer Pro yet? Upgrade with a 30-day money-back guarantee to unlock the full feature set.

Got questions or feedback? Leave a comment below.

FREE GUIDE

4 Essential Steps to Speed Up Your WordPress Website

Follow this 4-part mini series to reduce loading times by 50–80%.

Background and WordPress roots
Elliott’s early web work began in the 1990s making sites for bands and personal projects. After agency work and then freelancing, he explored CMSs like Joomla and Drupal before settling on b2/WordPress. Community involvement — meetups and collaborations — shaped his path. He still develops for WordPress, creates technical videos on YouTube, and remains passionate about simplifying complex concepts for learners.

The pizza business and plugin
During COVID lockdown, Elliott and his wife launched a local pizza delivery operation to serve their community. What started as a temporary effort grew: five years on they employ five staff and license the model to others. Crucially, WordPress is the backbone: WordPress itself, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins glue the system together.

Elliott built a plugin (Pizza Pilot) to replicate the ordering and delivery logic. Features include:
– Slot-based ordering with time windows
– Radius-based delivery restrictions by postcode (customers outside the radius can still opt for collection)
– Time-based constraints so certain items or slots are available only at set times
– A freemium offering and a Pro version bundled for licensees

The business model isn’t a franchise; licensees buy the model, get training and plugin access, and replicate the micro-business locally. Elliott also produced course material — recipes, production steps, and marketing modules (his wife handles marketing) — to support licensees.

Working with Automattic and wordpress.com
Elliott was approached by Michelle Frechette and introduced to Stacey Carlson at Automattic to create content about wordpress.com. That led to a broader relationship involving Brit Solata and input from Jamie Marsland (head of the wordpress.com YouTube channel), who influenced Elliott’s video approach. The result is a series of videos through 2026 focused on wordpress.com features, workflows, and practical developer tools.

Content aims and approach
Elliott’s content is educational and practical: long-form videos plus short-form cutdowns. He aims to simplify technical topics (templates, template parts, patterns, developer tooling) and explain how to use features, not just announce them. He’ll cover practical developer topics like enabling Xdebug in the Studio app, and emerging areas like AI and how WordPress integrates with shifting tech.

Automattic provides early access to features and flexible briefs. Elliott described freedom to choose topics aligned with his audiences; guidance is about target viewers rather than heavy-handed directives. The collaboration is a sponsorship-style relationship where content lands on Elliott’s own YouTube channel to reach his audience, while aligning to wordpress.com priorities.

Community feedback and the value of comments
YouTube comments are an active feedback loop for Elliott’s work: they prompt follow-ups, surface misunderstandings, and guide future videos. He welcomes critical feedback as constructive, and values the two-way learning dynamic between creator and community. This feedback loop helps refine explanations and informs subsequent content.

Production process and tech stack
Elliott keeps a low-tech, pragmatic setup:
– Filming: iPhone camera on a simple rig
– Lighting: DIY diffuser (e.g., a cat food box with tissue paper over an LED)
– Sound and monitoring: studio monitors from music production gear
– Editing and motion graphics: DaVinci Resolve (paid version for bells and whistles; free version is already powerful)
– Scripting: a “loosely scripted” process that starts with voice notes (using Notes and voice-to-text) for a brain dump, polished by AI and refined into a script or flashcard prompts
– Motion graphics and animation: custom work in Resolve’s node-based tools; Elliott prefers to learn and build rather than rely on stock templates

He treats scripting as a key part of quality: not rigidly word-for-word but structured enough to avoid rambling and to sequence concepts clearly. Editing is iterative and enjoyable for him; he’ll record, edit, step away, then re-edit.

Philosophy and creative freedom
Elliott values autonomy and creative freedom. He described himself as “unemployable” in the conventional office sense, preferring remote work and independent creation. The collaboration with Automattic fits this: he keeps control of voice and format while contributing informed, early-access content. He also emphasizes the broad applicability of WordPress — example: a gardener running invoicing through WordPress — underscoring how the platform can power many kinds of businesses beyond traditional websites.

Topics Elliott intends to cover
– wordpress.com features and workflows, with early access perspective
– Developer-focused tools and debugging (e.g., Xdebug in Studio)
– How to implement and use templates, patterns, and template parts
– Simplifying AI concepts and how they relate to WordPress (LLMs, etc.)
– Case studies and practical uses, including how WordPress powered his pizza business

Where to find Elliott
YouTube: elliottrichmondwp
Website and blog: elliottrichmond.co.uk (double L, double T in Elliot)

Summary
Elliott Richmond blends long-term WordPress development experience with hands-on entrepreneurship and content creation. His pizza business exemplifies how WordPress can be the operational core of a real-world microbusiness, while his videos aim to demystify new and evolving WordPress features for a wide audience. Working with wordpress.com gives him early access and an amplified platform, but he retains creative control and continues to focus on educational, practical content created from direct experience.

Build Charts With AI
Chart creation has long been the most time-consuming part of using Visualizer: picking the right chart type and tweaking settings until it looks right. The new AI chart builder changes that. Describe what you want and Visualizer generates the chart for you. Preview it live, refine it with follow-up prompts, and publish when it looks right.

What you can do:
– Turn a sales spreadsheet into a chart in seconds: upload your data, type “create a bar chart showing monthly revenue by region,” and watch it appear.
– Visualize survey results without manual work: upload a CSV of responses, describe the breakdown you want, and let AI do the rest.
– Match your brand without touching settings: mention your brand colors in the prompt and Visualizer styles the chart accordingly.
– Build from a reference image: upload a chart you like and Visualizer will use it as inspiration to create a similar chart with your data.

No coding, no manual configuration—just describe it and publish.

[PRO] Native XLSX Import
If you manage data in Excel, importing into Visualizer is now simpler. Drop an XLSX file directly and your data loads instantly—no CSV conversion, no copy-pasting, no reformatting. Your data is ready to visualize in seconds.

Grid & List View in the Charts Library
As your chart library grows, finding the right chart gets harder. You can now switch between a grid view for a visual overview and a list view when you want more detail at a glance. One click, your way.

Elementor Widget
If you use Elementor, there’s no need for workarounds anymore. The dedicated Elementor widget lets you drop any Visualizer chart directly into your page layout. Pick the chart, place it, and you’re done—clean, simple, and fully integrated.

A Few Things We Fixed
We also tackled several bugs: charts not loading on page load, a scroll glitch in Chrome, bubble chart crashes on resize, and other annoyances. Check the full changelog for details.

Ready to Try It?
Update Visualizer from your WordPress dashboard and try the AI chart builder. Not using Visualizer Pro yet? Upgrade with a 30-day money-back guarantee to unlock the full power of Visualizer.

Got questions or feedback? Drop a comment below.

FREE GUIDE
4 Essential Steps to Speed Up Your WordPress Website
Follow the simple steps in our 4-part mini series and reduce your loading times by 50–80%.

Yay! 🎉 You made it to the end of the article!

From hobby to business
During COVID lockdowns, Elliott and his wife started a local pizza delivery service to help their village when other outlets were closed. What began as a temporary project grew into a thriving micro-business: five staff and a model they now license to others. The tech stack behind it is WordPress: WordPress core, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins Elliott developed. WordPress became the glue that handled payments, geolocation, time slots, and ordering complexity, enabling a simple idea to scale.

Pizza plugin and business model
Elliott built a plugin (a freemium “Pizza Pilot” with a Pro tier) to replicate the ordering and delivery flow for other operators. Key features include slot-based ordering, time restrictions, radius-based delivery control (postcode distance checks), and options for collection versus delivery. The plugin is flexible enough for other types of businesses with restricted delivery windows or zones (bakeries, pop-ups, local services). Their licensees purchase the model and receive the plugin bundled with the package rather than a franchise-style ongoing fee.

Working with wordpress.com / Automattic
Recently, Automattic reached out to Elliott through Michelle Frechette and Stacey Carlson to sponsor content about wordpress.com. That led to further collaboration and introductions into influence marketing at Automattic. Elliott’s role involves producing videos about wordpress.com features and workflows, with early access to some tools and an agreement to create content through the year. He’ll publish on his own YouTube channel (elliottrichmondwp) for his audience, while aligning some pieces to what’s relevant for wordpress.com users.

Content approach and scope
Elliott plans to produce a mix of long-form and short-form content. Long-form videos will dive into features and workflows and generate short clips for social distribution. He sees content creators filling a documentation and education gap for rapidly changing parts of WordPress (blocks, templates, patterns, and the impact of AI). The goal is educational: explain what features do, how to access them, and how to implement them — not just announce new releases.

Automattic’s brief is flexible
Elliott describes the collaboration as generous and trusted: Automattic provides themes and guidance about target audiences and priorities, but leaves creators a lot of latitude. Scripts he’s submitted have seen only minimal edits. The arrangement focuses on authentic, useful education rather than tightly scripted corporate promotion. Elliott emphasizes the value of community feedback — YouTube comments and conversations often inform the next video and act as a real-time feedback loop for product teams.

Content creation process
Elliott scripts loosely — often using brain dumps captured via voice-to-text in Notes, then polishing with AI and reorganizing into a flow. He uses prompts and flashcard-like cues when recording rather than strict word-for-word narration. Editing is iterative: record, edit, step away, then return to refine. Motion graphics and simple analogies help make complex topics accessible, especially templating and block editor concepts.

YouTube as feedback and learning
He values YouTube as a feedback channel. Comments inspire new content, surface misunderstandings, and sometimes bring negative feedback that becomes constructive when addressed directly. He sees content creation as a two-way conversation that improves both the audience’s understanding and the product’s usability.

Tech stack and production kit
Elliott’s setup is intentionally low-tech and accessible:
– Camera: iPhone for recording.
– Lighting: DIY solutions (e.g., a small box diffusing LED light).
– Audio/monitoring: studio monitors (NS-10s) from his music production background.
– Editing and motion graphics: DaVinci Resolve (paid for full features, but the free version is powerful).
– Workflow: Notes app for ideas, voice dictation for brain dumps, AI for initial polishing, then manual editing and motion graphics in Resolve.

He stresses that you don’t need expensive gear to start — a quiet room, a decent camera (even a phone), basic lighting, and editing software are a workable launch kit. The real craft is scripting, structuring explanations, and refining how you communicate technical ideas.

On wordpress.com versus self-hosted WordPress
Elliott explains that wordpress.com and the self-hosted WordPress.org software share the same underlying software; the difference is hosting and managed services. Using wordpress.com or the Studio app can give you local files and advanced features while offering managed performance and security from the platform maintainers. This can be appealing for developers and site owners who want control without hosting overhead.

Community, opportunities, and future plans
Elliott’s background — from early b2 days to modern block development — and his habit of learning and teaching have created opportunities to both make a living and explore new ventures. He’s excited to make educational videos about developer tools (like Xdebug in Studio) and newer topics (Gutenberg patterns, templates, and AI-related features). His Automattic-supported work runs through the year with flexibility to continue personal projects. He’ll also integrate WordPress lessons with pizza content where possible (e.g., a dough calculator or a demo of the pizza plugin).

Where to find Elliott
Elliott’s WordPress-focused YouTube channel: elliottrichmondwp. His personal site and blog: elliottrichmond.co.uk (double L, double T in his first name).

The episode highlights how WordPress can be more than a website platform: it can be the core system that empowers small, local businesses, educational content, and creative side ventures. Elliott’s mix of practical development, accessible education, and entrepreneurial experimentation shows the diversity of paths available within the WordPress ecosystem.

We focused on where AI genuinely helps Visualizer users and shipped a thoughtful update that speeds up your workflow — no shortcuts or gimmicks. Here’s what’s new.

Build Charts With AI

Chart creation used to be the most time-consuming part of Visualizer: choosing the right chart type and tweaking settings. The new AI chart builder changes that. Describe what you want, preview it live, refine with follow-up prompts, and publish.

What you can do:
– Turn a sales spreadsheet into a chart in seconds: upload your data, type “create a bar chart showing monthly revenue by region,” and Visualizer builds it live.
– Visualize survey results from a CSV without manual work: upload the CSV, describe the breakdown, and let AI handle it.
– Match your brand automatically: mention your brand colors in your prompt and Visualizer styles the chart without manual color picking.
– Build from a reference image: upload a chart style you like and Visualizer will use it as inspiration to create a similar chart with your data.

No coding. No configuration. Just describe it and publish.

[PRO] Native XLSX Import

If you manage data in Excel, importing is now simpler. Drop in your XLSX file and your data loads instantly — no converting to CSV, no copy-pasting, no reformatting. Ready to visualize in seconds.

Grid & List View in the Charts Library

As your chart library grows, finding the right one gets harder. Switch between a grid view for a visual overview and a list view for more detail at a glance. One click, your way.

Elementor Widget

If you use Elementor, there’s now a dedicated widget. Drop any Visualizer chart into your page layout, pick the chart, place it, and you’re done — clean, simple, and fully integrated.

A Few Fixes

We also fixed several bugs: charts not loading on page load, a Chrome scroll glitch, bubble chart crashes on resize, and other issues. See the full changelog on our site.

Ready to Try It?

Update Visualizer from your WordPress dashboard and try the AI chart builder.

Not using Visualizer Pro yet? Upgrade today — includes a 30-day money-back guarantee to unlock full features.

Got questions or feedback? Drop a comment below.

FREE GUIDE: 4 Essential Steps to Speed Up Your WordPress Website — reduce loading times by 50–80%.

Background
– Elliott has been developing with WordPress (and its predecessor b2) for over 20 years. Self-taught, he worked with various CMSs (Joomla, Drupal) before settling into WordPress development, community involvement, and content creation.
– He released a WordPress advent calendar in 2013, gathering code snippets from the community, and remains active in meetups and local WordPress groups.

The Pizza Business
– During COVID lockdown, Elliott and his wife started a local pizza delivery operation to serve their village when other takeaways closed. What began as a temporary weekend effort grew into a multi-staff business and a replicable model they now license to others.
– The whole ordering and operations stack is WordPress-based: WordPress, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins. Elliott built a plugin (Pizza Pilot freemium + Pro) to manage ordering, delivery radius based on postcode, time-based slots, and collection-only options. The plugin supports micro-businesses needing restricted delivery zones and scheduled sales.
– The couple also produced educational materials: a course teaching their pizza method, plus marketing modules managed by his wife. Licensees buy the model and receive the plugin and guidance; it’s not a franchise but a packaged system.

Content Work with Automattic / wordpress.com
– Elliott was approached through community connections (Michelle Frechette introduced him to Stacey Carlson at Automattic). Automattic/wordpress.com offered sponsorship and early access to features so he could create videos about wordpress.com workflows and features.
– He’ll produce a mix of long-form educational videos and short-form spinoffs. Content aims to explain features, workflows, developer tools, and evolving topics (including AI-related changes), not just announce new features. The goal: simplify complex topics like templating, patterns, debugging, and modern dev tooling.
– Contacts mentioned: Stacey Carlson (Automattic), Brit Solata (head of Influence Marketing), Jamie Marsland (wordpress.com YouTube lead)—all influencers in the content and creator space who inspired or enabled the collaboration.
– Elliott’s arrangement: produce content on his own YouTube channel (elliottrichmondwp), with flexibility on topics aligned to wordpress.com’s audience. He gets early access or pointers on features but retains editorial freedom; the partnership supplies guidance, not tight control.

Why Video and Community Feedback Matter
– Elliott sees video (YouTube and short-form platforms) as a powerful feedback loop. Comments inspire further videos, raise questions, and provide practical testing and improvement for products and docs.
– He believes content creators can fill documentation gaps, translate technical changes into accessible lessons, and speed adoption of new features by reaching varied learning styles.

Content Style and Process
– Elliott scripts loosely—using brain-dump notes (often voice‑to‑text in Notes), then polishes with AI, refines into flashcard-style prompts or tighter scripts. He values structure but allows off‑script moments when they add clarity.
– Production is hands-on: he plans motion graphics, records headshots and screen captures, and edits over several passes. He finds editing rewarding and iterative.
– He balances technical depth with simplification and analogies, aiming to make developer topics accessible to a broader audience (e.g., explaining template parts, patterns, or Xdebug usage).

Tech Stack and Production Gear
– Surprisingly low-tech on the hardware side: primarily an iPhone for video, a simple DIY diffuser (cat food pouch/box with tissue) for lighting, and a quiet workspace. He also uses studio monitors (NS-10s) from music production for audio work.
– The main software is DaVinci Resolve for editing, motion graphics, audio, and color—he pays for the full version but praises the free option’s capabilities.
– Workflow tools include Notes for drafting and accessibility dictation; he also uses AI to polish initial drafts.

Development and Tooling Notes
– Elliott uses advanced tools and dev workflows when needed (e.g., Xdebug), and plans videos showing practical developer setups like Studio app features and debugging tools that some users might not notice by default.
– He highlights that wordpress.com hosting can still offer local development workflows and advanced features—users can develop complex sites and benefit from Automattic’s hosting and security.

Community and Motivation
– Elliott’s motivation is curiosity and the pleasure of learning and teaching. He’s been freelancing and working remotely for decades and values creative freedom.
– He appreciates the trust Automattic has shown in sponsoring independent creators and sees the model—giving creators guidance and early access, not strict scripts—as effective.
– The WordPress ecosystem’s flexibility allowed him to pivot a hobby into a business, and he notes other non-traditional WordPress uses (e.g., a gardener running invoicing through WordPress).

Where to Find Elliott
– YouTube: elliottrichmondwp
– Website/blog: elliottrichmond.co.uk

Episode notes and links are available at wptavern.com/podcast, where this episode’s transcript and references are posted.

Many tools race to add AI; we paused to pinpoint where it truly helps Visualizer users, then shipped a focused update. No shortcuts. No gimmicks. Just an update that speeds up your workflow. Visualizer’s latest release is live — here’s what’s new.

Build Charts With AI

Chart creation has long been the most time-consuming part of using Visualizer: choosing the right chart type and tweaking settings until it looks right. That’s where we started.

The new AI chart builder lets you describe what you want and builds the chart for you. Preview it live, refine it with follow-up prompts, and publish when it looks right.

What you can do:
– Turn a sales spreadsheet into a chart in seconds. Upload your data, type something like “create a bar chart showing monthly revenue by region,” and Visualizer builds it live.
– Visualize survey results without manual work. Upload a CSV of responses, describe the breakdown you want, and the AI handles the rest.
– Match your brand without touching settings. Mention your brand colors in the prompt and Visualizer styles the chart accordingly.
– Build from a reference image. Upload a chart style you like and Visualizer will use it as inspiration to recreate a similar look with your data.

No coding. No configuration. Describe it and publish.

[PRO] Native XLSX Import

If you manage data in Excel, importing into Visualizer is now simpler. Drop an XLSX file directly and your data loads instantly. No converting to CSV, no copy-pasting, no reformatting — just your data ready to visualize.

Grid & List View in the Charts Library

As your chart library grows, finding the right chart gets harder. Now you can switch between a grid view for a visual overview and a list view for more detail at a glance. One click, your way.

Elementor Widget

If you use Elementor, there’s no need for workarounds. A dedicated Elementor widget lets you drop any Visualizer chart directly into your page layout. Pick a chart, place it, and you’re done — fully integrated into your Elementor workflow.

A Few Fixes

We also fixed several bugs: charts not loading on page load, a Chrome scroll glitch, bubble chart crashes on resize, and other issues. Check the full changelog for details.

Ready to Try It?

Update Visualizer from your WordPress dashboard and try the AI chart builder.

Not using Visualizer Pro yet? Upgrade today with a 30-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee to unlock the full power of Visualizer.

Got questions or feedback? Drop a comment below.

FREE GUIDE

4 Essential Steps to Speed Up Your WordPress Website

Follow the simple steps in our 4-part mini series and reduce your loading times by 50–80%. 🚀

Yay! 🎉 You made it to the end of the article!

Background
Elliott has been developing with WordPress since its b2 days—over 20 years. Self-taught, he moved from building early web projects for bands and agencies into freelance development, working with CMSs such as Joomla and Drupal before committing to WordPress. He’s contributed to the community in various ways, including a 2013 advent calendar of developer code snippets, and today combines development, teaching, and entrepreneurial work.

Pizza business and plugin
During COVID lockdowns, Elliott and his wife launched a local pizza delivery service. What began as a temporary community effort grew into a thriving weekend business that now employs staff and is offered as a replicated business model to licensees. WordPress is central to the operation: the stack uses WordPress, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins to manage ordering, time slots, delivery radius checks by postcode, and more.

From that practical experience Elliott built a plugin—Pizza Pilot—that provides configurable features for local food operations: slot-based ordering, time-based availability, postcode/radius delivery restrictions, and optional pro features bundled for licensees. The plugin supports a variety of local food or retail models that need restricted delivery zones and scheduled fulfillment.

Work with wordpress.com / Automattic
Elliott was approached by Automattic contacts who had seen his videos and content. That led to a collaboration to create videos about wordpress.com features and workflows through 2026. The arrangement gives him early access to features and flexible briefs to produce educational content for his audience. He’s free to publish on his own YouTube channel while aligning some content to what wordpress.com wants to highlight. The relationship is pragmatic: Automattic provides support and early access, while Elliott creates approachable, practical videos that help users understand new tools and workflows.

Content approach and goals
Elliott focuses on educational content—explaining features, how to use them, and how to implement them in real workflows. He wants to simplify complex technical topics such as templating, template parts, and developer tools into accessible lessons. He plans both long-form videos and short-form spin-offs to reach varied audiences, and sees a role for content creators to fill documentation and learning gaps during a period of rapid change in WordPress (including major releases and AI integration).

Feedback from the community—especially YouTube comments—is an important loop for refining topics and improving explanations. Elliott views critique, even negative feedback, as useful data to inform future content and iteration.

Content process and production
Elliott’s creative process start with a brain dump using voice-to-text in Notes, then AI-assisted polishing to shape a script. He scripts loosely—using prompts or flashcard-style notes—so he can remain natural on camera while following a clear structure. He records with an iPhone and uses simple lighting (humorously describing DIY diffusers) and modest studio gear from his music production background. For editing and motion graphics he uses DaVinci Resolve (paid but notes the free version is very capable). He enjoys editing, motion graphics, and crafting analogies that help viewers grasp unfamiliar concepts.

He balances technical demos—screen recordings, code, or Studio app workflows—with visual aids and animations to demystify topics. He’s interested in showing developer-focused tools too, such as Xdebug availability in certain local dev environments.

Attitude toward sponsored/partnered content
Elliott emphasizes that the collaboration with Automattic is not restrictive. He receives briefs about target audiences and themes, but has broad creative freedom. He’s happy to produce material that aligns with wordpress.com products because he already uses them daily. He values authenticity and community feedback over promotional spin.

WordPress as a glue for diverse businesses
A recurring theme is WordPress’s adaptability. Elliott points out examples—like a local gardener running invoicing through WordPress—and stresses the platform’s ability to glue systems together for unexpected ventures. His pizza business is an illustration: WordPress and WooCommerce enabled payments, delivery orchestration, product configuration, and customer workflows without building a full custom platform from scratch.

Where to find Elliott
Elliott publishes WordPress-focused videos on his channel elliottrichmondwp and maintains a blog at elliottrichmond.co.uk (double L, double T). He plans content through at least the end of 2026 under his agreement and continues to develop his pizza plugin and business model in parallel.

The episode highlights how deep technical knowledge, community engagement, and a do-it-yourself approach can spawn new directions—whether making tutorials to demystify evolving WordPress features or turning WordPress skills into a real-world food business.