Mobile contribution research

Problem statement:
In pursuit of the “New content” program in the Audiences department FY18/19 Annual plan, the desired outcome (Outcome 3: mobile contribution)is:


 * “It is easier for someone to contribute productively to Wikimedia projects on a mobile device, leading to more mobile edits and higher retention.”

In order to provide a clearer understanding of why people contribute to Wikipedia (or don’t) on mobile devices,  and what functionality and features “make the most sense” to provide for new and experienced contributors on mobile devices, this research is being implemented. Specifically, the outcomes of this work will answer the following questions for the Wikimedia Foundation mobile platform product teams (including apps and mobile web)


 * 1) Why do (and don’t) new and experienced Wikipedia contributors use mobile devices for contribution?
 * 2) Which types of contribution workflows and tasks make the most sense to provided on mobile devices?
 * 3) Which tasks should exist on mobile devices?
 * 4) How much of the ecosystem should exist on mobile?

Hypotheses | Questions
Hypothesis: People contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices because they have limited or no access to larger devices (laptops/ desktops).

Q: What kind of technology ecosystems do people who contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices work in (including what kind of access to  internet and devices)?

Q: Who are the people who primarily contribute content to Wikipedia on mobile devices?

Q: Why do they contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices?

There are very few people who contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices. This is because it is not easy as a result of usability and discoverability issues. Also a person has to be very motivated to contribute on mobile devices, and be willing to take the time to learn, and create work-arounds to accomplish their goals.

Q: How many mobile contributors are there on all mobile platforms as compared to contributors using desktop/ laptop computers?

Q: What kind of challenges do folks who contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices currently have?

Q: What are their motivations to contributing on mobile devices?

Many people,  though they are aware of mobile contribution tools, and have tried contributing on mobile devices, do not contribute content to Wikipedia using mobile devices, and instead use laptop or desktop computers.

Q: Why don’t they contribute to Wikipedia on mobile devices?

Q: What challenges do they have when attempting to contribute on mobile devices?

Q: What are their ecosystem of devices to connect to the internet?

Research Goals

 * Provide a summary of previous research informing: “Why do (and don’t) new and experienced Wikipedia contributors use mobile devices for contribution?”
 * List of all the workflows in the contribution taxonomy which score well on “mobileability” criteria - to inform which workflows and tasks “make sense” to have on mobile platforms
 * Provide answers to  “Why do (and don’t) new and experienced Wikipedia contributors use mobile devices for contribution?”
 * Set of findings and recommendations synthesized from primary research and secondary research


 * Provide a clear perspective, backed by data, on “How much of the ecosystem should exist on mobile?”

September 2018

 * Project brief completed, and project begun.
 * Gathering a group of people from the Audiences team who are working on improving mobile contribution features and functionality to be on the steering committee.
 * Gathering previous research and beginning to read and summarize any relevant findings to inform this research.