This work is guided by the Product and Technology Advisory Council (PTAC) Recommendations:

User Story:

As a Wikipedia editor using a mobile device, I want to:

• Easily start editing without encountering technical or UI barriers.
• Understand how to navigate editing interfaces (VisualEditor and wikitext) with clear guidance.
• Avoid frustrating roadblocks such as unclear error messages, unexpected UI behaviors, or inconsistent editing tools.
• Successfully save my contributions without confusion or unnecessary complexity.
• Participate in Wikipedia fully on mobile—not just for small edits, but also discussions, citations, and more complex contributions.

Background:

Despite mobile devices accounting for 60% of Wikipedia traffic, only 12% of successful edits come from mobile. This discrepancy suggests that mobile editing experiences are not meeting contributor needs, creating barriers that prevent participation—especially for users in the Global Majority, who primarily or exclusively access the internet via mobile devices.

We should conduct a comprehensive audit of the mobile editing experience to identify pain points, friction areas, and opportunities for improvement. The goal is to ensure that Wikipedia is truly the encyclopedia that anyone can edit—regardless of device access.

Objective:

We want to map out the mobile editing journey, including:

• Screenshots and step-by-step analysis of key workflows in mobile editing (account creation, VisualEditor, wikitext, discussion pages, Homepage, etc.).
• Identification of barriers and friction points that hinder successful editing.
• Data-driven insights on where users struggle, drop off, or abandon edits.
• Evaluation of how different user groups (new editors, experienced editors, mobile-only contributors) experience mobile editing differently.

Deliverables:

• Update the Mobile Editing User Journey Map: to help capture the Mobile App editing experience
• Identify steps/moments/UX that the Apps are simplified or improved compared the mobile web experience

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Future Work

This Mobile Editing Journey Map will be used to:

• Map drop-off points—where users abandon before completion.
• Compare edit success rates between mobile and desktop at each step of the editing funnel.
• Investigate the impact of mobile on new and experienced editors separately.

This Mobile Editing Journey Map will be used to help answer:

• What are the biggest barriers preventing editors from completing their contributions on mobile?
• How does editing success differ between VisualEditor and wikitext on mobile?
• Where can UI, guidance, or interaction design be improved?
• What features or tools do desktop editors take for granted that mobile editors lack?

Long term goals of this work:
Learnings to help guide improvements that lead to:

• Increased percentage of successful mobile edits (edits that are completed and not reverted).
• Higher retention and continued participation of mobile editors—especially those in mobile-first regions.
• Improved editor satisfaction with mobile tools
• Reduced burden on experienced editors handling errors or incorrect mobile edits.