User:Jorm (WMF)/Interaction Task



Please take a look at http://as.wikipedia.org/

This is Wikipedia in Assamese, a language spoken in India with about 17 million speakers. Here are some features we have to support Assamese readers, as well as readers of the 200+ languages of Wikipedia:


 * 1) To support users typing in Assamese, we have an input method tool. That's the tool in this image (also on the bottom right of this page) labeled "Language Settings System".  The input method tool appears on the top right nav of the screen on http://as.wikipedia.org.  This tool maps the user's physical keyboard to the Assamese character set.
 * 2) To support users reading the Assamese characters, we have a font selection tool. This tool ensures the proper rendering of Assamese characters in browsers that don't natively support this character set.  This control is labeled "Select Font" in the upper right nav on http://as.wikipedia.org/ (you may also refer to the | previous image).
 * 3) To support users viewing content in a different language edition of Wikipedia, pages have what we call interlanguage links. Those are the links in the image on the right labeled "Interlanguage Links". For example, if you visit the dog article on the English Wikipedia, you can view the same article in different language versions of Wikipedia by clicking on the Interlanguage Links on the left-hand side of the page.
 * 4) We also enable users to change the language of their user interface. It is possible to browse Assamese content with a user interface in English. Currently you need to be logged in to do this (in your user preferences), or you can add ?uselang=something to the URL (e.g., http://as.wikipedia.org/wiki/?uselang=en)

We're also investigating the development of new language tools like on-screen keyboards.

These language elements in the UI is increasingly cluttering the user experience. In addition, their function is not very obvious. We'd love it if you could share your thinking on how to improve the user interface, with a focus on the interaction component. A volunteer in India took a first crack at an improved design at Universal Language Selector. There are several problems with this approach, some of which have been pointed out in this thread.

For this exercise, please focus on the following use cases (Note: not all of the four features above will be used in the following cases).
 * User lands on www.wikipedia.org and must select the appropriate language.
 * User is viewing a Wikipedia page on the Eiffel Tower. How do we know which language version to show?  Let's say a user wants to switch language versions (say, from English to French, or from French to Japanese?).  How should they be able to accomplish this task?
 * User is editing an article on the Assamese Wikipedia (http://as.wikipedia.org/). What type of interface would allow the user to change their input method (#1 above) in the most intuitive, easy to understand way?

If you could write up your thoughts, in whichever form would help us understand how you think. Mocks are appreciated but not necessary.

Time limit: 2 hours.