This task involves the work with publishing the design approach we will be following for the set of set of Usability Improvements we will be implementing.
=== Objectives
Below is a list of what we are seeking to learn in this first set of conversations we will be having with volunteers at mediawiki.org and other projects (see T296357) about Topic Containers (T269950).
**What we are seeking to learn?**
1. Of the design approaches we are exploring to make it easier for A) Junior Contributors to recognize talk pages and containing conversations and B) Senior Contributors to assess the level of activity on a given talk page, what aspects of them do volunteers find most effective? What do volunteers wish were different about the design approaches? What do volunteers find unexpected about the design approaches?
2. How – if at all – might existing workflows/conventions/gadgets/etc. be impacted by Topic Containers?
=== Requirements
A series of rough design concepts that show the following on mobile and desktop:
- 1. Screenshot showing talk pages //without// {nav [ reply ]} or {nav [ subscribe ]} affordances
- 2. An annotated version of "1." that illustrates the issues with the legacy talk page experience. //E.g. People found it difficult to know how to respond. People found it difficult to know how to start a new discussion [on desktop]. People do not recognize talk pages as containing conversations. Etc.//
- 3. Screenshot showing talk pages //with// {nav [ reply ]} or {nav [ subscribe ]} affordances
- 4. Screenshots showing talk pages //with// Topic Containers (section title styling, actions (edit, subscribe), metadata (number of comments, date last comment was posted, number of people participating in the discussion), collapsable sections)
-- Ideally, we're able to share at least three Topic Container approaches. Some directions we might explore:
--- //Where does metadata about the discussion go within the Topic Container? Is it right justified? Is it beneath the discussion title?//
--- //Where does {nav [ edit ]} shown? Might it go within an overflow menu?//
--- //In what ways might discussion titles be styled so they obviously appear as distinct from section titles in the main namespace? Type? Background colors?//
--- //Is the `{nav [ subscribe ]} affordance text? Is it an icon?//
=== Feedback
|Issue|Description|Link(s)|Next step*
|---|---|---|---
|1. | ["Exploration 3" (desktop)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) unnecessarily makes important actions (read: subscribing and editing) less discoverable | via @Tacsipacsi in [Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21...](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21T23:18:00.000Z-PPelberg_(WMF)-2021-12-18T00:07:00.000Z)|
| 2. | ["Exploration 3" (mobile)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) does a good job of adapting to the limited screen space available by nesting actions (subscribing, editing, linking) within the overflow menu| via @Tacsipacsi in [Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21...](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21T23:18:00.000Z-PPelberg_(WMF)-2021-12-18T00:07:00.000Z)|
|3.|["Exploration 1" (mobile)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) leads me to question whether I would notice the {nav Subscribe} affordance b/c it looks like it belongs to the previous section which I am not likely to pay attention to|@Tacsipacsi in [Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21...](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21T23:18:00.000Z-PPelberg_(WMF)-2021-12-18T00:07:00.000Z)|
|4.|["Exploration 2b" (mobile)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) I am confused by what appears beneath the section/discussion title. Reason: the icons including in this grouping do different things. Two of the icons represent information about the discussion and one of the icons represents an action that can be taken on the discussion. |@Tacsipacsi in [Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21...](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Tacsipacsi-2021-12-21T23:18:00.000Z-PPelberg_(WMF)-2021-12-18T00:07:00.000Z)|
|5.| ["Exploration 2b" (desktop + mobile)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) It's not clear what the bell icon does or means.| @Guy_Macon in [Usability#c-Guy_Macon-2021-12-23](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Guy_Macon-2021-12-23T03:18:00.000Z-Feedback:_Topic_Containers_Design_Concepts) |
|6.| [All concepts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) It was not immediately clear to me that the chat bubbles icon refers to the number of comments in the discussion and the person icon the number of people who have participated in the discussion| @Klein in [Usability#c-Klein_Mu%C3%A7i-2021-12-22](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Klein_Mu%C3%A7i-2021-12-22T01:16:00.000Z-Topic_Container_Design_Feedback:_Klein_Mu%C3%A7i)|
|7.| [Meta] Information about the number of people in a discussion and the last time a comment was published seems helpful deciding whether to join in or not. //E.g. "Is this conversation still active? If I post comment, is it likely others will respond?" and "How many people are in this discussion? Is this a conversation between two people that I ought to be hesitant about joining? Is this a discussion with many people that I should feel welcomed to join without hesitation?"//| @Klein in [#c-Klein_Mu%C3%A7i-2021-12-24](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Talk_pages_project/Usability#c-Klein_Mu%C3%A7i-2021-12-24T13:44:00.000Z-PPelberg_(WMF)-2021-12-24T03:16:00.000Z)| |
|8.| ["Exploration 1"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) When actions are too close in proximity to the Topic title, everything looses its scan-ability "because all the words run together when you read quickly| @Quiddity via @Whatamidoing-WMF | |
|9.| ["Exploration 1"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topic_Container_Design_Concepts.jpg) The subscribe link feels out of place due to the vertical line.| unsigned| |
|10.| [Meta] "I'm liking the idea of a new copy link option to get the URL with the section heading. That would save me some time."| ? | |
*Link to ticket if applicable
=== Done
- [ ] An artifact that fulfills the `===Requirements` above is published to [mw:Talk pages project/Usability#Design](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk_pages_project/Usability#Design)
- [ ] The feedback volunteers share is documented in the `===Feedback` section above