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Conduct Comparative Review: Web vs Native Apps vs Reference OAuth sign-in patterns
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Description

Background

Understand what a OAuth sign-in might look like on mobile and how it compares to our current UX.

Deliverables

  • Screenshots with Annotations of:
    • Current Wikipedia web login
    • Desired web login experience
    • Current app login (iOS and Android)
    • Reference Apps (GitLab, Reddit, Mastadon, etc.)
  • Heuristic
    • Entry points
    • Trust cues for login handoff
    • Privacy/Consent explanations
    • Error states and recovery process
    • Accessibility and localization differences
  • Recommendations
    • How should we preserve consistency and trust if OAuth is introduced
    • Copy and component updates that we would need if we proceed with these changes

Questions to Answer

  • How do comparable apps reassure users when leaving their current state for OAuth
  • How are cancellations, bad credentials, or unverified email explained?
  • After signing in, how do apps return users to the action they started?
  • Do flows work with large text and screen readers?
  • Do OAuth pages match native branding and theming (dark mode) without confusion?

Event Timeline

cooltey triaged this task as Medium priority.Oct 21 2025, 4:09 PM

Got a better understanding of the scope of this task by chatting with Jaz and Dmitry. Also mapped web view areas in Wikipedia app (iOS + Android) plus analyzed Reddit app (localization, accessibility, dark/light mode).

Finished screenshots + annotations. Now compiling all the learnings into a digestible slide deck (WIP here - around 80% completed): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nWurSh82kw9EeSn1v4TrEFRpoe8udQbWZu7agwHPMf0/edit?usp=sharing

@JTannerWMF Comparative Review is done and can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nWurSh82kw9EeSn1v4TrEFRpoe8udQbWZu7agwHPMf0/edit?usp=sharing

I asked Amin for feedback, too, due to his familiarity with the issue.