Inline hint · Feature discovery
Jira’s first-time feature use keeps it contextual
Jira explains manual automations inside an issue’s Actions menu, so users learn the feature when they open that menu, not before.
Screenshot added to the library in April 2023; its exact capture date wasn’t recorded, and the product may look different today. Write-up reviewed 22 Oct 2026.
At the time of the screenshot, Jira taught its automation feature with contextual onboarding built into the Actions menu of an issue. Opening the menu shows, above the usual options (Manage automations, Create automation, Audit log), an illustration of a task card with a lightning button being clicked and one sentence: "Create an automation to perform tasks with the click of a button. Manual trigger automations will appear here once created." Two buttons follow: Create automation and See templates. Users only see it when they open the menu themselves.
Why it works
- Contextual: the onboarding sits inside the menu where automations will live and appears only when users open it, so it never interrupts other work.
- Visual: the illustration shows the lightning button being clicked on a task, which explains a manual trigger faster than text could.
- Good calls to action: instead of only a way to close it, users get two next steps: build an automation or browse templates.
More on this pattern: contextual onboarding and progressive onboarding.
