In reply to Gary.

Does it improve discovery of blocks users actually want or does it provide an obstacle to it?

That’s a good question, and one that we are trying to answer with our tests, and with feedback like yours!

If I search for “PayPal” or “sell” in the block picker, I’d consider it a win to get a result; it brings me one step closer to my goal. I can then preview the block, and proceed with my purchase only if that’s really the block I am looking for. If not I’ll keep looking.

I personally like the idea of doing that research inside the editor, so I don’t have to completely abandon my editing flow just because I am looking for something that isn’t available on my site just yet. I also feel like seeing the block in the editor gives me a better idea of what its options are, and allows me to quickly see if the block is really what I need, or if I should look for something else.

I can’t count the number of times I spent hours trying out plugin after plugin to find a feature I was interested in. Often a plugin’s readme doesn’t give you enough information and you need to see the feature in action to really know if that’s what you need.

This is part of why I am excited about the upcoming Block Directory project.

That said, I know that not everyone shares my opinion. @Patrick B put that quite nicely in his comment below:

It’s an editor, it should be dedicated to that task.

I guess it boils down to how we define “editing” on a WordPress site today. I think the Block editor kind of allows us to redefine what the editing experience means for WordPress today. It offers us some opportunities, and some challenges. I don’t know where editing should stop, what should be in the editor and what shouldn’t be in there. Overall, I think experiments made in plugins like Jetpack and core projects like the Block Directory project will help us figure this out in the next few months.