Add a dedicated target date and countdown module setting in plugin dashboard

Impact: 60 · Confidence: 85 · Complexity: 45

Description

Problem

Users setting up maintenance or coming-soon pages frequently need to display a target end date or countdown timer to inform visitors when the site will be back online. Currently, LightStart relies on the WordPress block editor and external block plugins (such as Otter Blocks) for countdown functionality, leaving no simple target date field or module in the LightStart dashboard under Modules (where Subscribe and Google Analytics live). This causes users looking for a straightforward date setting to abandon the plugin.

Desired Behavior

Provide a native target date / countdown module in the LightStart dashboard settings that allows users to set a maintenance end date and time and automatically display it on the maintenance page.

Acceptance Criteria

• Include a Target Date / Countdown module in the LightStart settings dashboard.
• Allow users to select a target completion date, time, and timezone.
• Automatically display the countdown/target date on active maintenance pages when enabled.
• Provide options for when the timer reaches zero (e.g., display completion message, hide timer, or redirect).

Customer Context

1 user deactivated the plugin after 19 minutes citing 'no module to place the date'. The user expected a direct module setting to configure and show a target maintenance end date.

Root Cause Analysis

The user deactivated LightStart because they could not find a simple way to set a target date or countdown timer for their site's maintenance mode ('no module to place the date'). In LightStart's current structure, page layout and design rely on Gutenberg and optional block add-ons (such as Otter Blocks), while the plugin's Modules tab only offers Subscribe and Google Analytics settings. Users expecting a simple 'Target Date / Countdown' configuration field directly within the plugin's dashboard struggle to find this capability and deactivate.

Reasoning

The user deactivated the plugin after 19 minutes because they could not find a module or setting to place a target date or countdown timer on the maintenance page. LightStart currently handles page content via the block editor and template imports (often relying on Otter Blocks), but lacks a dedicated date/countdown module in its core dashboard settings alongside existing modules like Subscribe and Google Analytics.

Source: automated uninstall feedback — wp-maintenance-mode, 2026-08-25
Generated by feature-request-triage workflow (ID: feature-request-triage_6a8e730583a1c9.48245214)

Start with the LightStart dashboard's Modules area, where Subscribe and Google Analytics settings currently live, and trace how enabled module settings reach active maintenance pages. Define the target date, time, timezone, countdown display, and zero-state options against the acceptance criteria; done means the module is configurable and its output appears on the maintenance page.