User story & summary:
As a new Wikipedia account holder on mobile, I want editing workflows that are broken into a series of easy steps, so that I can successfully contribute.
As an experienced Wikipedia editor, I want newcomers to learn quickly, so they start to edit constructively and don't create additional work for patrollers.
- Project page: Constructive activation experimentation
- Related work: Structured tasks & Edit check
As part of the Growth team 2024/2025 Annual Plan, the Growth team will explore various ways to increase constructive activation on mobile. This is part of the Wikimedia Foundation 2024-2025 Annual Plan, specifically the Wiki Experiences 1.2 Key Result.
Background
Current full-page editing experiences require too much context, patience, and trial and error for many newcomers to contribute constructively. To support a new generation of volunteers, we will increase the number and availability of smaller, structured, and more task-specific editing workflows (E.g. Edit Check and Structured Tasks). The Growth team will primarily focus on Structured Tasks, while working closely with the Editing team to ensure our work integrates well with Edit Check.
This project aims to address the following user problem: Getting started editing on Wikipedia is difficult and especially frustrating on mobile devices. I want the editing interface to provide the in-the-moment policy and technical guidance I need, so my initial efforts aren't reverted.
This project aims to achieve the following user outcome: As a new Wikipedia volunteer, I feel confident and enthusiastic about contributing to the Wikimedia movement by editing Wikipedia articles. The tools provided guide me step-by-step, limit distractions, and allow me to learn progressively so I can successfully contribute on my mobile device.
Growth team hypothesis
Wiki Experiences 1.2.3:
If we conduct user tests on two or more design prototypes introducing Structured Tasks to newcomers within/proximate to the Visual Editor, then we can quickly learn which designs will work best for new editors, while also enabling engineers to assess technical feasibility and estimate effort for each approach.
Guiding KPI
Constructive activation: Increase in the percentage of newcomers who publish ≥1 constructive edit in the main namespace on a mobile device.
For the WE1.2 we are focusing on brand new account holders on mobile, so constructive activation is defined as a newcomer making at least one edit to an article in the main namespace of a Wikipedia project on a mobile device within 24 hours of registration on a mobile device and that edit not being reverted within 48 hours of being published. This will be measured on a per platform basis (we will measure mobile web and mobile app edits separately).
Research:
This work is guided by the following observations and associated data and research:
The majority of new account holders on Wikipedia never complete even an initial edit
Task-specific, structured workflows cause more newcomers to publish a constructive edit.
- Structured Task research: Add a link & Add an Image
- Talk page research: Reply Tool & New Topic Tool
- Newcomer tasks experiment analysis
Newcomers struggle with noticing, understanding, and applying the policies that shape Wikipedia.
Fewer new editors are registering on Wikipedia.
- Wikimedia Stats: New registered users
- Investigate drop in New Editors: T351759: Investigate drop in New Editors
The majority of Wikipedia pageviews are from mobile.
Scope of this Epic
All subtasks of this Epic should relate the the WE1.2.3 exploration, and any follow up engineering effort & hypothesis that results from the original exploration and WE1.2.3 user tests.