Topic on Talk:Talk pages project/New topic/Flow

Here are examples of how to start a discussion on other sites, which might be examples for how to do it onwiki with reply tool:

• On Flow, it is an already opened text input box on top of the talk page with gray text 'Start a new discussion', just click in the box to put a cursor in it
• On Facebook, it is an alredy opened text input box on top of wall with gray text 'What is on your mind?', just click in the box to put a cursor in it
• On Twitter, there is both an adready opened text input box on top of the page with gray text 'What keeps you busy?', and a big blue 'Tweet' button in the left side bar. On mobile there is a plus button in the lower right corner when you follow the stream for a specific hash tag
• On LinkedIn, there is an already opened text input box on top of the page with gray text 'Start a post', and an icon of a pen in a box next to it.

So, these examples all lead the way to having an already opened input text box on top of the page. For on wiki talk pages the new discussion should end up at the bottom af the page. Or you are bold, break convention, and start top posting of new discussions, just like all other sites. Several of the above mentioned sites, but not all, will pop up a dialog box to enter the new discussion, which naturally blocks doing anything else on the page, including replying to existing comments. Specific for on wiki discussions will be to require a head line or title, and Flow is an example of doing that.

Thank you @Ad Huikeshoven - you have accurately described the problem space that we are dealing with. Thank you for taking the time to do a comparative analysis. I have been looking into these trends as well and I see a few possible options for us to explore:

Initial Touchpoint (where does the contributor click to start writing a new discussion topic?)

1. Navigation - use the "new topic" button that already exists in the navigation
2. Input Field - have an open text box in the spot where you will be typing your message
3. Button - have a "sticky" button outside of the tabbed navigation that encourages users to create a new discussion.

Drafting Touchpoint (where does the contributor draft their subject and message?)

1. In context - drafting in the context of the page. This will match treatment for “Replying” to messages.
2. In a modal - drafting on a layer above the page. This could be similar to the chat paradigm that you see interfaces such as Slack or Hangout or blogging platforms.
3. On a new page - this is how it's currently done and usability testing has made it very clear that this confuses junior contributors - who don't always know where they are posting in this workflow.

Feedback Touchpoint (what can we do to reassure the contributor that their new discussion posted after they click to publish?)

Depending on where drafting happens, this confirming interaction could be one or all of these components:

1. Success Message - "your new discussion topic has been posted ...."
2. Highlight - highlights in yellow the part of the page that contains your post.
3. Scroll to location - quickly scrolls the page and shows the contributor the location of the post

I'd love to hear if you feel any conviction about any of these approaches.

@JKlein (WMF), I don't want you to miss this idea.

Thank you @JKlein (WMF). I would like to see all of them except 'In a modal' or 'On a new page'. For the initial touchpoint, I have a heavy preference for 'Input Field', as this is the customary mode used on Flow, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for example. The 'problem' is the new user will not see the input field as long as they haven't scrolled to the bottom of the page. User testing will have to show if (new) users will ever touch a Button.

You can also follow this ticket in Phabricator to see this work being done in real time. Otherwise, I will be posting with @PPelberg (WMF) here soon when I get a few more explorations done. I completely agree with you regarding the "problem." Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts her @Ad Huikeshoven