User story
As a new account holder,
I want to be guided through a brief, meaningful setup experience after creating my account,
so that my dashboard and first steps on the wikis reflect what I actually care about.
DE1.3.1 Hypothesis
If we reduce cognitive load and provide more personalized post-account creation experiences for new account holders, then a greater proportion of users will constructively activate by making their first edit.
Background
The current Welcome Survey introduces friction at a critical moment in the user journey (immediately after account creation) without offering any visible benefit in return.
Key issues:
- Interrupts momentum: Users are prompted with a survey before they have a clear sense of what they want to do.
- Low perceived value: The purpose of the survey is not clear to users, and it does not provide immediate, visible benefits.
- Redundant data collection: Much of the same intent can be inferred from user behavior (entry point, early actions).
- WMF and the Community has limited visibility into responses T394559: Welcome survey data: access to response data
The Growth team is shifting toward a model where the onboarding experience actively serves the newcomer — not just data collection — by:
- Using survey responses to immediately shape the newcomer homepage (or personal dashboard) and suggested first tasks
- Reframing questions around the newcomer's goals and interests, not WMF research needs
- Reducing question count and replacing open-ended fields with visual, low-friction choices
- Connecting each question explicitly to a visible outcome ("We'll suggest tasks based on this")
- Inferring additional intent from behavior and entry points to reduce repetition over time
Designs
Figma file | Phab comment below
Open questions
- Which homepage modules or features can realistically be personalized based on survey input in the near term?
- What is the minimum number of questions needed to produce a meaningfully differentiated first experience?
- Should the redesigned survey be skippable, and if so, what default experience do skippers receive?
- How do we A/B test and measure whether the redesigned survey improves newcomer activation vs. the current version?
Acceptance criteria
- The redesigned welcome experience is shown after account creation on all platforms
- Each question is accompanied by a visible explanation of how the answer will affect the user's experience
- Survey responses immediately influence at least one element of the newcomer homepage (e.g. suggested edits, etc.)
- Users who skip the survey receive a sensible default homepage state
- Time-to-first-edit (or equivalent activation metric) is not negatively impacted vs. the baseline
- Completion rate of the new survey meets or exceeds a defined target threshold
