New Readers/Next steps

New Readers
Research and findings
  Outcome #1: Access
  Outcome #2: Awareness
  Outcome #3: Discovery
  Outcome #4: Retention
  Outcome #5: Syndication
Updates
FAQ and all pages

The New Readers team is using human-centered design to understand how we can help readers in the priority countries access and use Wikimedia content. Building on the findings from the research conducted during the first half of 2016, we are currently working through concept generation and evaluation to determine what our collective approach will be to addressing these countries.

We're focused on 3 pillars we can address: offline support, affordability, and awareness.

How can you get involved?

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We will keep this space current with what's going on and include ways to give us feedback and ideas. Or for general questions/thoughts, post on the program's talk page.

Building on the research

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Concept generation & evaluation

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The New Readers core team has been meeting regularly to figure out what our first approach will be to reach these potential new readers, based on the research findings. We've narrowed in on two findings that we plan to focus on for the remainder of the Foundation fiscal year (through June 2017):

We'll be using the personas developed from the research to guide this process.

We want your ideas! Please check out the subpages for each of the findings (linked above) to learn where we are in our process and how you can contribute.

Prototyping & field tests

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We're actively working on building solutions for people using the mobile web to take content offline. Please check out what we've built and let us know what you think on the Offline page.

Target country list

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We have identified 6 priority countries as a pilot, but also need a larger list of countries that we can use to segment traffic metrics. This list will be formed from criteria that fit our context and goals better than the "global south/global north" and will involve input from community members, particularly in those countries we're targeting. Please tell us what you think!

Awareness

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Low brand awareness and confusion around what Wikipedia is were key findings of the New Readers project. With less than 25% of research participants in Nigeria and India saying they have "heard of Wikipedia" this awareness is particularly acute in these countries.

The Communications team is eager to work on raising awareness. Beginning in October 2016, we will begin developing messages with community and staff to better explain Wikipedia and its use. This will follow a broad strategic approach that builds on our research data. We will also examine best media channels for reaching new readers in Nigeria and India, and examine how social media platforms can help.