Hypothesis owner: @apaskulin
Hypothesis owner delegate: @TBurmeister
Start date: July 6, 2026
Target completion date: September 30, 2026
Actual completion date:
Hypothesis ID: PP3.4.3
Hypothesis
If we design an information architecture for the expanded, unified developer portal, we can establish preferred API pathways for technical contributors and content reusers while continuing to meet the information needs of user journeys served by the existing developer portal.
Scope
Personas:
- Content reusers
- Non-commercial
- Commercial
- Tool developers (including on-wiki features)
- New
- Experienced
- Open source contributors
- Data consumers and researchers
- Students
APIs:
- The Developer Portal v2 will include documentation for a TBD subset of Wikimedia APIs.
Success metrics
- In user testing, users from different personas groups can effectively find the information when asked.
- Release-candidate-level information architecture
- Release-candidate-level content strategy
Research questions:
- Can users effectively navigate between wayfinding content and reference content?
- Can users effectively learn about how to use APIs using non-reference content?
- Can researchers use the site to effectively find relevant APIs and data sources?
- Can commercial content reusers effectively choose Enterprise APIs as the correct path for their use case?
Project plan
Initial design
- Create an initial information architecture design
- Review with Tech Docs Team and iterate
- Review with Front Door working group and iterate
Mockup phase
- Collaborate on plan to evaluate the information architecture through user testing
- Implement information architecture in prototype with mockup-level content to unblock user testing
Draft phase
- Refine prototype content from mockup level to draft level
- Create initial content strategy
- Iterate on information architecture based on content evolution and user testing feedback
- Share progress on project wiki page
Release candidate phase
- Refine prototype content from draft level to release candidate level
- Finalize information architecture
- Finalize content strategy