Mobile design/Wikipedia navigation/Article Action Bar



This page summarizes the diverse viewpoints regarding the design of the Action Bar, which is the proposed method of separating article actions from site-wide or general functions.

The following list should capture all of the input so far:


 * the Action Bar icon is not suggestive of its intended function, which is to collect all article-specific functions
 * supported by four user tests, which include the feedback that the Action Bar icon is not suggestive of its intended function, and that the icon seems to be associated with the search bar
 * proposed solutions: change the iconography to a more appropriate symbol, use something more in keeping with the abstract nature of the Main Menu icon, use a visual cue to suggest it is associated with the article


 * put the Action Bar functions into the Main Menu as a separate section
 * user Axel Boldt suggested this with the reasoning that users can never remember which menu will include which functions


 * put Contents and Language as functions within the article page
 * Jon suggested this as being more clear and convenient
 * Jon also suggested making the Contents icon as persistent in the lower right corner of the screen


 * put the Action Bar icon in the upper right of the article page
 * Lindsey suggested this as a way to make the association with the article more obvious


 * put some functions of the Action Bar into the top bar, together with back/forward, an icon to open other Action Bar functions, and a collapsed search field
 * this was Lindsey's original design which puts less emphasis on search but makes the article functions more obvious and accessible

And finally, a separate but related issue that could affect the design of the Action Bar is enabling hide and reveal of the top bar.

Persistent TOC

 * A proposal for making the TOC accessible at all times is a swipe to reveal it on the right side. In the article view there is a possible conflict with viewing content that flows off-screen to the right, but a possible solution is to enable scrolling of content until it ends, and then invoke the TOC with a further swipe.


 * Another proposal is a persistent icon in the bottom right corner, although implementing this uniformly across browsers may be challenging.

Candidates for the Article Action Bar
Some additional features are likely next steps for inclusion in the Article Action Bar:


 * Find text in article - needed in the apps and iPhone browser, this would reduce the need for scrolling, enhance searching overall, and is a typical user expectation - requires research on future features in Safari, as well as other browsers
 * View article history - a legal requirement, removes the need for the Contributors link in the footer, and aids editors or experienced readers
 * Save this page - while already a feature in the apps, this could work for a certain number of HTML5 browsers (more data to come), and requires a fair amount of development
 * Watch this page - this is a common function for experienced Wikipedia users and requires login (and if fully expressed, account creation)
 * User sandbox editing - could be a precursor to actual editing, also requires login

A longer list of possible functions is available on the Wikipedia Navigation  project page.