Improve recurring usage of VS Code extension

[ryankscott]

Problem to solve

We believe that using our IDE extensions positively impacts user retention and engagement with Sourcegraph.
Although we're seeing great installation of our VS Code extension (>1000 users per week), we're not seeing recurring usage:

• Weekly activated users (those completing their first search) is ~250 users
• We have ~280 WAUs

This shows that many users don't complete their first search, and those who do often don't come back.

We believe that we can improve our extension so that Sourcegraph is adopted into a developers workflow, driving user engagement.

Relevant feedback

Product Gaps

• N/A

Productboard feedback

• TBC

Analytics

• VS Code usage

Measure of success

• Improve our DAU/MAU from ~5% to 9%
• Improve our 7 day retention from 3.9% to 8%
• Increase the fraction of users who complete their first search from ~30% to 50%

Solution summary

Artifacts:

• Make the VSCE experience feel more native to VS Code #30207
  • Ability to perform a Sourcegraph search while in a VS Code file #30267
  • Enter Sourcegraph search query directly from VS Code command menu #30054
• Improve "create an access token" flow for the VS Code extension #28311

What specific customers are we iterating on the problem and solution with?

• TO DO

Impact on use cases

Delivery plan

• TO DO

[sourcegraph-bot-2]

Heads up @muratsu @jjinnii @ryankscott - the "team/integrations" label was applied to this issue.

[jjinnii]

@ryankscott Thoughts on just making this "Improve recurring usage of VS Code extension"? It's our hypothesis that better integration on the frontend will help drive recurring usage, so I feel like we can leave the "nativeness" as part of the solution but maintain a roadmap item of "recurring usage".

cc: @muratsu

[ryankscott]

This is now being put on-hold, due to the two people working on it no longer being on the team.