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Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/Transition/Discuss/Cluster B

< Strategy‎ | Wikimedia movement‎ | 2018-20‎ | Transition‎ | Discuss

Discussion of priorities: Cluster A - 22. Movement Charter + 23. Interim Global Council + 24. Global Council • Cluster B - 9. Methodology to improve the Wikimedia platform UX + 11. Resources for newcomers • Cluster C - 31-33: Invest in Skills and Leadership Development • Cluster D - 25. Regional & thematic hubs • Cluster E - 2. Funding for underrepresented communities • Cluster F - 3. Increased awareness about the Wikimedia Movement • Cluster G - 8. Align with environmental sustainability initiatives • Cluster H - 36-38: Identify Topics for Impact

This page contains a summary of discussions from the Movement Strategy 5-6 December Global Conversations regarding the implementation of the initiatives: 9. Methodology to improve the Wikimedia platform UX + 11. Resources for newcomers. Feel free to continue the conversation on Meta by adding your thoughts and comments in the talk page.

Join the follow-up event edit

The Follow up event for discussing the implementation of the Improve User Experience cluster will take place on January 22, between 15:00 to 17:00 UTC (meeting link). If you would like to join the event, kindly sign your name below:

  1. Tgr (talk) 18:41, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Uzoma 06:39, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Anass Sedrati (talk) 08:12, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  4. User:Ms Kabintie --Ms Kabintie (talk) 07:39, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Frhdkazan (talk) 13:55, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Jadnapac (talk) 14:02, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Exec8 (talk) 14:39, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Events summary edit

5 December edit

Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Round 1 Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. (Mobile, mobile, mobile!) Better editing on mobile, including visual editing and uploading. Additionally, providing instruction tools for mobile editing because, currently, training materials are mostly on desktop.
  2. Listen to editors in all the wikis (not just English), get ideas from them, and Empower the developer teams that address their needs * like the "community wishlist".
  3. Make tools that are available in bigger Wikimedia projects also available in all projects. The tools for newcomers, as well as talk pages, especially need to be unified across all the wikis. Different interfaces for tools across different wikis can be very confusing.
Video summary of the discussion (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Round 2 Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Better mobile support is very very important, because many users can't access Wikimedia projects on a desktop. We need better editing options on mobile. Also, focus on working with images and accessibility.
  2. We need better languages support, so people can receive the information in their native language. What can be done automatically (with machine translation)? We don't have enough people to translate everything we need.
  3. We need to join efforts from different organizations (design, research, wishlists) and projects to act more strategically. We should have an overview on Meta with all the user experience-related initiatives.

6 December edit

Video summary of the discussion of both rounds 1 and 2 (same as the written points, recorded during the events).

Round 1 Key actions (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Test new users continuously by involving them in the process of design. Young people are especially key. Those involved in the testing can be educated but not necessarily with an IT background, there is need for a variety of profiles.
  2. Make Wikimedians aware of the newcomer experience. “We, as Wikipedians, cannot think as newcomers”. Can the community understand newcomers well enough to accept change?
  3. Identify the interfaces and behaviours (among other things) that influence user experience. Some interactions with administrators are perceived as barriers (but we saw some disagreement on this). The amount of policies too.

Round 2 Key actions from both rounds (full notes on Etherpad):

  1. Increase awareness of the current community, retention, and identify the factors that affect the user experience. Design changes need the consent of the community, for which better communication of the user experience issues should help. There is a need to better understand what a barrier is; Wikimedians need objective measures.
  2. Make the Methodology UX more participatory. In this sense, we can engage experienced editors in research to understand the newcomer experience. We should also involve editors who create the research/pages and meta in testing them with other users and learning to iterate their design.
  3. Create materials (and also spaces) for newcomers. There are different factors that influence the user experience (administrators communication sometimes being a barrier). We need to balance the newcomers contribution with the disruption they bring, and we can do that by creating specific “safe spaces” for them to learn and practice. We need to acknowledge that acquiring the literacy to edit is not immediate. More visual resources and less text always help.

Detailed input edit

The rich input from the December Global Conversations, in addition to feedback from other discussions has been further organized by the Support Team into a more coherent template. The objective of this template is to clarify the proposals that have already emerged in the discussions, and to serve as a basis to continue the conversation around the implementation of the Movement Strategy recommendations. The eventual goal is to develop it into a “draft implementation plan” that will be presented to the whole movement and the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees in February 2021. The current template is put forward to serve as the baseline for the upcoming follow-up discussions in January.

The information below has been directly taken from the minutes of the Global Conversations and occasionally edited or rephrased for clarity, so it is not necessarily verbatim.

Defining the scope edit

  • There is a need to better understand what a barrier is; Wikimedians need objective measures.
  • There are different factors that influence the user experience (administrators communication sometimes being a barrier).
  • There is a perception out there in the communities that most things are based on EN WP preferences.

Who should be involved edit

  • New user: test continuously by involving them in the process of design. Young people are especially key.
  • Experienced editors: to be engaged in research to understand the newcomer experience. We should also involve editors who create the research/pages and meta in testing them with other users and learning to iterate their design.
  • Developer teams: to engage with new users and editors on issues like the "community wishlist".

Immediate steps for the next 18 months edit

Improve user experience:

  • Identify the interfaces and behaviours (among other things) that influence user experience.
  • Improve mobile support including visual editing and uploading.
    • Provide instruction tools for mobile editing because, currently, training materials are mostly on desktop.
    • Focus on working with images and accessibility.
    • Take inspiration from wikiHow, which has many more ways to participate. For example, the interface makes it possible to do simple “micro volunteer” tasks like spell check from phones.
  • Improve language support so people can receive the information in their native language.
    • Provide built-in translation tools.
    • Consider what can be done automatically (with machine translation). We don't have enough people to translate everything we need.
  • Ensure neurodiverse communities can access and contribute to knowledge.

Engagement:

  • Increase awareness of the current community, retention.
  • Facilitate communication between newcomers and experienced.
    • Add a “Chat type” interface to connect newcomers with Wikimedians.
  • Better communicate user experience issues to the community, because design changes need the consent of the community beforehand.
    • Listen to editors in all the wikis (not just English), get ideas from them, and Empower the developer teams that address their needs like the "community wishlist".
    • Improve communication between developers and users
    • Expose veteran editors to the experiences of readers and new editors
  • Wikipedia readers should be able to send emails with small suggestions to contributors.
    • Allow readers to email research articles and to a shared inbox that volunteers are monitoring. Making it easier for them to link that to an article.

Newcomers:

  • Create materials (and also spaces) for newcomers, especially for smaller wikis.
    • Reach out with the community wishlist to newcomers.
    • Offer tutorials for newcomers.
    • Provide more visual resources and less text.
  • We need to acknowledge that acquiring the literacy to edit is not immediate.
  • We need to balance the newcomers contribution with the disruption they bring, and we can do that by creating specific “safe spaces” for them to learn and practice.

Tools across wikis

  • Make tools that are available in bigger Wikimedia projects also available in all projects.
    • Identify key functionalities across wikis (e.g. Upload Wizard, AddMe, FormWizard, Visual Editor).
    • Gather all resources across various wikis into one central place to translate translate
  • Unify the interfaces for tools across different wikis to avoid confusion.

Needs for resources and support edit

  • Increase investment in community wishes (such as dedicated staff), in order to include newcomers and smaller wikis.

Interested communities and affiliates edit

Based on local, regional, and thematic priorities (please see table and map):

DE communities, WMUK, WM Morocco, WM Sweden, WP.Kiswahili, WM Australia, Art + Feminism, Santali UG, Philippine Community, WM Nigeria, WM Israel, WMES, Sudan, San Diego, Hablon UG, WikiDonne, WMNZ Aotearoa, WikiMujeres, AfroCROWD, Wikimedians of Levant, Guinea Conakry, Wikipedia & Education UG, Igbo UG, Kenya UG, Arabic-speaking community, wikiBlind

Interested in implementation edit

Sign below (in whatever capacity or affiliation you like) if you are interested in contributing to the implementation of this cluster:

  1. --Amir E. Aharoni (talk) 19:21, 17 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  2. I've implemented numerous UX improvements and mobile compatibility in the web interface (code, operational demo). —Aron Man.🍂 edits🌾 06:07, 18 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  3. --Tgr (talk) 01:18, 20 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Anupamdutta73 (talk) 07:28, 20 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Bhuvana Meenakshi (talk) 17:49, 9 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Camelia (talk) 19:28, 10 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Uzoma (talk) 07:22, 16 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  8. Dolphyb (talk) 20:52, 18 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Anna Torres (WMAR) (talk) 15:24, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  10. Winnie Kabintie --Ms Kabintie (talk) 20:26, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  11. --Agustín Peña (WMMX) (talk) 00:24, 21 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  12. --Nehaoua (talk) 09:42, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  13. --Filipinayzd (talk) 15:25, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  14. --Tiputini (talk) 17:39, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  15. --Wilson Oluoha (talk) 22:32, 22 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  16. -- PDiazR (WMCL) (talk) 17:41, 26 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  17. Trizek (WMF) (talk) 18:17, 26 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  18. Oby Ezeilo129.56.98.66 12:22, 27 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  19. --DrMel (talk) 03:46, 5 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
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