This epic includes subtasks that include:
- Engineering tasks that relate to mobile web editing improvements discovered or discussed as part of the Mobile Web Editing Working Group
- Research, Data Analysis, Design, or Movement Communications tasks to learn more and help prioritize future work.
WE1.1.6 Hypothesis:
If we investigate technical, social, and behavioral barriers and enablers to mobile web editing through user research and data analysis, we will generate at least 3 actionable insights that close key knowledge gaps and strengthen our ability to confidently prioritize product investments for the second half of FY25/26 and beyond.
This hypothesis is a result of the suggestion from the Product and Technology Advisory Council:
Product and Technology Advisory Council recommendation:
Why, and why now?
People using mobile devices account for around 60% of Wikipedia traffic, and that number is only growing as desktop traffic declines. In the Global Majority, around 70% of people exclusively access the Internet using mobile devices. However, based on data from recent months, only around 12% of successful edits are accomplished on a mobile device. Because Wikimedia's mobile infrastructure is not up to the task, we are excluding large swaths of the global population from participating in the sum of all human knowledge. Right now, Wikipedia is not the encyclopedia anyone can edit; it is the encyclopedia anyone with the privilege of access to a desktop device can edit.
Mobile is a particularly urgent priority because new audiences who are coming online are primarily mobile. People are also increasingly moving to mobile devices (as desktop device usage decreases). The segment of people who are facing challenges in participating because they primarily or exclusively use mobile devices is only increasing, and so we need to address those challenges now.
Problem statement
Despite mobile accounting for around 60% of Wikipedia's traffic, it contributes only around 12% of successful edits. Challenges in mobile editing make it difficult, if not impossible, for some mobile editors to contribute, particularly those who do not have any access to a desktop device that they can use to complete edits they began on mobile devices. We are dramatically limiting the number of people who can fully participate in the Wikimedia movement by effectively excluding those without access to desktop devices.
This epic is mainly intended to help gather related workstreams since we are pursuing several different areas of work within this hypothesis and working group:
| Workstream name | Summary |
|---|---|
| UI Review + User Journey Mapping | Capture annotated screenshots of major flows. What steps does a mobile editor take from reading to publishing an edit? Where are the known friction points? |
| Quantitative Data Gathering | Review what we know today (e.g. bug reports, funnel data, revert rates). Identify what we don't know, and where we need more data to make informed decisions. |
| Qualitative Research | User interviews or surveys. Possibilities include: review of existing data, quick survey after new editors abandon the editor, mobile editor interviews. |
| IP Blocking + Mobile Editing | Explore how IP blocks affect mobile editing. Consider what improvements from Trust & Safety could support our long-term goal of helping new editors successfully contribute on mobile devices. |
| Community Wishlist review of mobile editing wishes | Review and respond to VE wishes, especially around mobile |
| Movement Communications: Mobile Editing | Share research and findings with Communities. Creation or organization of Mobile Editing resources. |
| Engineering | Help identify quick wins and bug fixes that teams might prioritize ASAP. |