Topic on Talk:Wikimedia Apps

Greetings,

On behalf of the English Wikipedia's In the News (WP:ITN) and Did You Know (WP:DYK) I wanted to get in touch with the team that works on the official iOS and Android apps. Specifically, I want to get a connect going to understand some of the WP:DYK and WP:ITN work can be featured on the homescreen of the iOS and Android apps.

1. Today, we see that content from the WP:DYK panel on the Web Mainpage does not make its way to either the iOS or Android apps -- can we help with the content either curated or content as-is for you to think through inclusion in the apps? We have a robust screening process and pipeline to get the WP:DYK hooks as they are called onto the homepage. Typically 10 hooks are promoted to the homepage and are rotated at either 12 hour or 24 hour intervals. The first hook has an accompanying picture while the others are pure text.
2. I also see that you do parse our WP:ITN panel to pick up the news blurbs. But, I also wanted to point you to the Recent Deaths carousel that you see at the bottom of the panel. Lot of good work goes into getting biographies into a solid state and are showcased in the panel.

Across both 1 and 2 from above, a sound screening process exists that ensure that the articles being promoted are of quality levels commensurate with the homepage! i.e. you will not see any issues with the content that is being showcased there.

Would greatly appreciate any leads on whom we can engage to get a conversation going regarding both of these topics. Thanks in advance.

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Hey @Ktin, I'll bring this up with the iOS team.

Thanks much @Johan (WMF). Looking forward to a great partnership!

I'm a regular user of the iOS app and agree that DYK would be a good addition as it is deliberately designed to hook and engage readers. Each set tends to have 8 hooks, which might be too many for the app so bear in mind that the first is always a picture hook and the last is usually chosen to be quirky so those two might be given more prominence.

The Recent Deaths feature is not so important because, if the person is famous, such as Meat Loaf or Betty White, then they will usually appear in the Top read section. And if they are not famous, then readers are not likely to be interested. ITN doesn't filter recent deaths for significance and so lots of them are quite humdrum.

Thanks for reaching out @Ktin, and sorry for the slow response. I am the Group Product Manager for the Apps. First, I want to say we're definitely aware of the DYK content and totally agree it would make a perfect addition to the feed, both in English and many other languages. Original plans for the feed actually included DYK as a content item!

The "death carousel" is a bit more fraught, as while we know how vital Wikipedia is to the celebrity death cycle, it also puts tragic content consistently front and center in a way that could be off putting to some users. Adding it as optional content certainly makes sense.

Unfortunately right now there are no teams dedicated to the feed system and adding new elements to it. That may change in the upcoming annual plan and I will bring your request and any related phab tickets to those discussions to show editor interest for this years plans.

Thanks @JMinor (WMF).

1. Re: DYK. Agree. Please feel free to let us know if you need any additional information. E.g. there might be a way for you to select a subset of the 8ish hooks that we have in a manner that feeds into the app quite well from a visual perspective so that you do not have screen overflows. I almost forgot that you build for multiple languages at the same time - so, maybe there might be some coordination that might be needed.
2. Re: ITNRD. I hear you that having a screen filled with loads of recently deceased folks might make the app seem like an obituary app and might be off-putting for some users. There might be some visual representation with more horizontal swipes that might help introduce the content, without making it take too much of the vertical space. But, I do agree that it might require some thinking on how best to consider. As you can see this is a project that I am very passionate about because a lot (and I mean a lot) of good work goes in to ensure that articles are improved. And, these are not even run of the mill celebrities. Appreciate your consideration when you meet as a team for the new year planning.

Irrespective of these two, if you want to have a FGD or a similar session with the regular editors of the homepage content as you build the app, I am happy to go round up a few regulars and request their presence on a virtual call with you and your team there.

Also, while I have you here, can I ask a piece of input? One of the things I track on the homepage is the number of visits / clicks. If this is not a confidential number - do you have visibility on the number of feed page users (daily / monthly) on the iOS / Android apps?

Thanks again and I wish you well.