Beitragende/Experimente zur Kontoerstellung

Gruppe:	WMF Product & Technology - Contributors Group
Start:	2026-01
Aufgabenliste:	Subtasks under: phab:T409236
Leitung:	Product Manager: Kirsten Stoller Program Manager: Lauren de Lench

This page is a translated version of the page Contributors/Account Creation Experiments and the translation is 35% complete.

Die Erstellung eines Kontos ist der erste Schritt zur Teilnahme an Wikimedia-Projekten, aber die aktuellen Registrierungsflüsse schaffen unnötige Reibungen, insbesondere auf Mobilgeräten. Viele gutwillige Mitwirkende geben den Prozess auf, weil die Auffindbarkeit schlecht ist, das Formular veraltet ist oder technische Hindernisse wie IP-Sperren im Weg stehen.

Dieses Projekt konzentriert sich auf kleine, messbare Experimente, um die Kontoerstellung klarer, einfacher und erkennbarer zu machen, insbesondere für mobile Lesende und temporäre Kontoinhabende. Ziel ist es, erfolgreiche Registrierungen zu erhöhen, ohne nachgelagerte Ergebnisse wie konstruktive Bearbeitung und Aufbewahrung zu beeinträchtigen.

Aktueller Status

Januar 2026 Frühe Planung, Forschung und Gestaltung.
März 2026 Release first version tests for Focus Areas 1, 2, & 3
Weiter - Verbesserung der Kontoerstellungserfahrung, v2

Probleme

Die Konto-Registrierungen sind seit 2019 deutlich zurückgegangen,^[1] was zu weniger neuen aktiven Bearbeitenden beiträgt.
Auf dem Mobiltelefon ist die Möglichkeit, ein Konto zu erstellen, schwer zu finden und verwirrend.
Das aktuelle Formular zur Erstellung eines Wiki-Kontos bleibt hinter den Branchenstandards zurück. Im Q2 FY25/26 auf der englischen Wikipedia haben weniger als 39% der Personen, die begonnen haben, mindestens ein Feld im Formular "Account-Erstellung" zu füllen, erfolgreich die Kontoerstellung abgeschlossen. ^[2]
Die veraltete Benutzererfahrung und die Fehlerbehandlung bei den Feldern „Passwort“ und „Accountname“ im Formular zur Kontoerstellung scheinen beim Ausfüllen des Formulars erhebliche Reibungsverluste zu verursachen. Auf Mobilgeräten machen Abbrüche bei den Feldern „Passwort“ und „Passwort bestätigen“ etwa 26 % aller Abbrüche aus, verglichen mit nur 6,75 % auf dem Desktop. Das liegt wahrscheinlich daran, dass es auf kleineren Handybildschirmen und -tastaturen schwieriger ist, diese Felder auszufüllen und zu überprüfen.^[3]
Wir tun kaum etwas, um erfolgreiche Neulinge, die ein Testkonto nutzen, in reguläre Beitragende umzuwandeln.
Viele wohlmeinende Leute werden bei der Registrierung mit IP-Sperren konfrontiert, ohne dass klar ist, was los ist oder wie sie das Problem lösen können.
Auf Mobilgeräten verlassen die meisten Benutzenden das Feld „Accountname“, nachdem sie mit dem Feld interagiert haben. Dies ist höchstwahrscheinlich auf einen Validierungsfehler zurückzuführen.^[4]
Die Abbrüche bei den Feldern „Passwort“ und „Passwort bestätigen“ machen etwa 26 % aller Abbrüche auf Mobilgeräten aus, während ihr Anteil auf Desktop-Computern nur 6,75 % beträgt. Das zeigt wohl, wie schwer es den Benutzenden fällt, Zeichen auf dem kleineren Handybildschirm und als Bearbeitende einzugeben.^[5]

Warum diese Arbeit wichtig ist

Die Verbesserung der Kontoerstellung stärkt die Pipeline der Beiträge. Die erfolgreicheren Registrierungen werden:

Beteiligung von Mobilbenutzenden steigern – dem am schnellsten wachsenden Segment der Lesenden.
Einen gesünderen Zustrom neuer Bearbeitender schaffen, die eher wiederkommen und engagiert bleiben.

Diese Arbeit ist ein erster Schritt im Rahmen eines langfristigen Vorhabens, die Erfahrungen von Neulingen zu verbessern und Unterstützung für eine nachhaltige, generationenübergreifende Bearbeitungs-Community zu bieten.

Der derzeitige Prozess zur Kontoeröffnung stellt potenzielle Beitragende vor große Hürden: schlechte Auffindbarkeit auf Mobilgeräten, IP-Sperren ohne klare Lösungswege, ein verwirrendes, veraltetes Formular zur Kontoeröffnung und kaum Maßnahmen, um Lesende oder Nutzende mit temporären Konten zu aktiven Beitragenden zu machen. Wenn wir diese Probleme angehen, werden wir die Aktivierung steigern, die langfristige Beteiligung fördern und die Foundation für einen nachhaltigen Nachschub an Beitragenden stärken.

Wie der Erfolg gemessen wird

Diese Arbeit fällt unter den Punkt WMF-Jahresplan für das Geschäftsjahr 25–26: Erfahrungen mit dem Wiki – Ziel 1:

Beiträge steigen, weil den Freiwilligen attraktive Möglichkeiten geboten werden und sie erkennen, welchen Einfluss sie haben.

Experimente zur Kontoerstellung werden unter folgendem Punkt erfasst: Wiki Experiences 1.8 Key Result:

Bis zum Ende des 4. Quartals soll die Abschlussquote bei der Erstellung von Konten im mobilen Web um 5 Prozent relativ gesteigert werden, mit Unterstützung von mindestens drei kontrollierten Experimenten, die jeweils eine relative Verbesserung von mindestens 2 Prozent innerhalb ihrer Zielgruppe erzielen.

Auf der Ebene des Experiments:

Jedes erfolgreiche Experiment zeigt einen relativen Anstieg der Kontoeröffnungen um mindestens 2 Prozent bei der definierten Zielgruppe.
Sicherheitskennzahlen wie konstruktive Aktivierung und Kundenbindung werden überwacht, um sicherzustellen, dass keine schädlichen Folgewirkungen entstehen.

Schwerpunktbereiche

Wir prüfen derzeit Ideen in vier Hauptbereichen und führen dabei Konsultationen mit anderen Teams und der Community durch.

1. Verbesserung der Benutzendenfahrung bei der Kontoerstellung

Experiments that focus on simplifying and modernizing the core account creation flow, with an emphasis on mobile usability and clarity. Explore ways to reduce cognitive load by streamlining the interface, removing or consolidating legacy warnings, and clearly explaining the benefits of creating an account in newcomer friendly language.

V1 Test - Redesign mobile web account creation form following Codex guidelines (T415659)

This test focuses on improving the usability of the mobile web account creation form by reducing visual clutter and cognitive load. On smaller devices, the current form is difficult to scan and navigate, with excessive helper text and redundant elements competing for limited screen space, especially when the keyboard is open. To address this, the test introduces a simplified form layout that removes unnecessary elements, streamlines helper text, and improves the overall information hierarchy in line with Codex design guidelines.

Current form
Proposed V1 simplifications

Starting 26. März 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: Englischsprachige Wikipedia.

The V1 experiment produced positive results, so we incorporated those improvements into the V2 experiment. The results of the V2 experiment are summarized below.

V2 Test - UX Improvements & Username Summary (T415972)

This test focuses on reducing friction during account creation by making the username policy easier to understand and improving key form interactions. It introduces a concise, accessible summary of the username policy so newcomers are not immediately faced with a lengthy and complex document. (T419395) In addition, it includes targeted usability improvements to the form, such as a standard “reveal password” option (T419413) and real-time username validation to provide immediate feedback. (T419401)

A quick overview of the username policy

Experiment results: Account Creation Form Improvements (V2)

Hypothesis: If we improve the account creation form, the registration completion rate among mobile users who land on the form will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.

What we tested

For this test we improved live username validation, clarified the username policy popover, and added a reveal password button. We also removed redundant elements and unnecessary, jarring warning messages, improved the form's information hierarchy, and aligned the design with Codex design system guidelines. We ran this as an A/B test, showing the redesigned form to half of eligible users and the existing form to the other half.

Phabricator epic: T409236
Pilot wiki: English Wikipedia
Audience: 50% of all logged-out mobile sessions at English Wikipedia during the dates of this experiment
Control: 4,673 subjects (49.91%)
Treatment: 4,690 subjects (50.09%)
Dates of experiment: June 18, 2026 – June 30, 2026
Goal metric: Permanent account creation rate - the proportion of users who created a permanent (aka named) account. This excludes temporary accounts.

What we found

The results were clear and positive. Users who saw the redesigned form created permanent accounts at a rate of 20.4%, compared to 16.4% in the control group. That works out to a 24.4% relative increase in the account creation rate, far exceeding our hypothesis goal of a 2% increase, and the experiment reached a 100% chance of winning. The 95% confidence interval for the increase is entirely positive, ranging from 13.7% to 35.1%. In other words, while our best estimate of the lift is 24.4%, even the most conservative end of the plausible range is a 13.7% increase, still well above our 2% goal. This gives us strong confidence that the improvement is real rather than a product of chance.

We also looked at two secondary metrics:

Proportion of account creation attempts with email increased by 20.3%. Meaning that not only did we increase the number of accounts created, but a greater percentage of these accounts are adding their email address (which is still optional but encouraged).

Special:CreateAccount user policy link clickthrough decreased by 68.2%. The decline in clickthrough to the username policy was greater than anticipated. We plan to release a follow-up improvement to help ensure people can easily access the username guidance they need, and understand that clicking on the guidance will not force them to navigate away from the form: T430604 Account Creation form: Simplify username guidance based on experiment data and user research.

Why this matters

Many mobile users who reached the account creation form never completed it. This experiment suggests that the form itself has been a source of friction: simplifying the form and giving people live feedback on their username, clearer username guidance, and the ability to check their password translated into a substantial increase in completed registrations.

What happens next

Account Creation form: Simplify username guidance based on experiment data and user research (T430604)

Learn whether the benefits block has a large effect on Special:CreateAccount on desktop (T430785)
Move Account Creation Form Changes from GrowthExperiments to MediaWiki Core (T429029)

V3 Test - Autogenerated Username Suggestions (T424906)

This test will explore more ambitious improvements to the account creation experience, building on insights from earlier iterations. This experiment explores whether offering auto-generated, available username suggestions during account creation can reduce friction and help more users successfully create an account. The experiment focuses on the username step because it is a major source of abandonment. Many users encounter validation errors, unavailable usernames, or uncertainty about what username to choose, requiring multiple attempts and increasing the likelihood that they leave the process. By providing valid, available suggestions that can be selected with a single tap or click, the experiment aims to reduce cognitive effort, minimize errors, and streamline account creation, particularly on mobile devices where text entry is more challenging. Ultimately, this work seeks to determine whether simplifying username selection can increase account creation completion rates and help more potential contributors successfully join Wikimedia projects.

V3 Account Creation design

This idea has been discussed with functionaries, and concerns have been expressed. This experiment will not move forward as is, and we will collect more feedback before we consider any similar experiment.

V4 Test - "Benefits Block" on Desktop (T430785)

Hypothesis

Removing the benefits block from the desktop Special:CreateAccount form will not reduce the permanent account creation rate. Based on prior mobile A/B test results, we expect the rate to hold steady or improve slightly.

What we tested

Prior mobile account creation experiments (1.8.3) showed that simplifying the account creation form, including hiding the benefits block, improved registration completion. This experiment tested whether removing the benefits block on desktop has any negative effect. Treatment was identical to control except the benefits block was removed. If removal is safe on all platforms, we can delete a substantial amount of non-trivial code.

A/B Test Duration: Jul 9 – Jul 27, 2026 (19 days)
Traffic: English Wikipedia, 50% of eligible traffic
Control: 9,734 subjects
Treatment: 9,848 subjects

What we found

The guardrail held. Treatment showed a small, non-significant positive effect on permanent account creation rate (+0.33% relative, 55.8% chance of winning). We found no evidence of a regression or negative impact from removing the benefits block.

The secondary metric points in the same direction: create-account-button clickthrough showed a non-significant positive effect (+10.2% relative, 70.5% chance of winning).

Neither result is conclusive on its own, but both metrics moving in the same positive direction suggests that removing the benefits block may modestly improve account creation completion, and makes a meaningful regression unlikely. At this effect size and traffic level, confirming the guardrail result would require roughly a year of additional data.

Recommentation:

This experiment was designed around an expectation of no change or a very small improvement, and effects that small are inherently difficult to prove: the smaller the true difference between treatment and control, the larger the sample required to distinguish it from noise. Reaching significance here would take roughly a year of additional data, which is not a reasonable cost for a minor feature change. Given no detectable regression, a possible small benefit, and meaningful reductions in UI and code complexity, we can move forward with the treatment experience.

By the time someone lands on Special:CreateAccount, they have already decided to create an account. Our goal at that point is to remove distractions and streamline completion, not to persuade. The benefits block works against this in several ways:

Redundant content. The statistics display repeat figures already shown on the Main Page, so they add visual noise without new information.
Wrong place for the message. We should do more to connect new account holders to their impact and to the broader community, but the account creation form is not the right surface for that work. It belongs in post-registration touchpoints like onboarding and the Newcomer homepage.
Visual misalignment. The block's layout is inconsistent with the rest of the form, and the statistics are rendered in a font size larger than the primary "Create your account" call to action, drawing attention away from the one action we want users to complete.

Removing the block simplifies the page around its single purpose and lets us retire the non-trivial code that maintains it.

What happens next

Complete work on: T429029 Move Account Creation Form Changes from GrowthExperiments to MediaWiki Core
Recommendation to run a future experiment to further reduce cognitive load for newcomers: T419305 Vector 2022 defaults for new accounts: collapse tools & appearances menus

2. Improve logged-out warning message (T415160)

When mobile users start an edit while logged out, they encounter a jarring warning message with editing as a temporary account being the main Call to Action. This interface can feel abrupt and discouraging, and it frames temp account editing as the primary path rather than encouraging users to create an account.

Current warning (Control)
New design (Treatment)

Experiment results: Improve logged-out warning message

Hypothesis: If we improve the logged out edit warning, the account creation rate among newcomers on mobile exposed to the warning will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.

What we tested

Starting 16. März 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: Arabischsprachige Wikipedia, Französischsprachige Wikipedia, Spanischsprachige Wikipedia, Deutschsprachige Wikipedia, Russischsprachige Wikipedia, Chinesischsprachige Wikipedia, Italienischsprachige Wikipedia, Portugiesischsprachige Wikipedia, Persische Wikipedia, Polnischsprachige Wikipedia.

What we found

The experiment started on 16. März 2026 and reached statistical significance on 26. April 2026 (p-value <0.05). The experiment groups included 194,029 subjects in the control group and 192,973 subjects in the treatment group.

Users in the treatment who were exposed to the updated message were 27% more likely to create a permanent account compared to the control group. A 16% relative decrease in temporary account creation was observed among users who saw the updated message, indicating a shift toward permanent account registration.

No significant change in constructive edit rates was detected, suggesting the increase in permanent registrations did not negatively impact downstream contributor metrics.

Why this matters

Small improvements to the earliest moments of the editing journey can have a meaningful impact further down the funnel and support long-term contributor growth. By making the logged out warning less intimidating and more clearly encouraging account creation, we increased permanent registrations without reducing constructive contributions.

3. Make Account Creation Easier to Find on Mobile

Experiments that address the limited visibility of account creation for logged out traffic on mobile web. Explore clearer and more intuitive entry points to account creation, ensuring users can easily distinguish between logging in and registering.

Add user account button to mobile web header (T415648)

Current header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
Proposed header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
Proposed header on mobile web with menu expanded

Starting 26. März 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: Hindisprachige Wikipedia, Indonesische Wikipedia, Bengalische Wikipedia, Thailändischsprachige Wikipedia, Hebräische Wikipedia.

Experiment results: Mobile Web Account Menu

Hypothesis: If we add a user account button to the header on mobile web, then the number of new permanent accounts created on mobile will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.