Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements

Group:	Reading/Web
Start:	2019-05
End:	2022-05
Team members:	Reading/Web/Team
Backlog:	Phabricator workboard
Lead:	Olga Vasileva (Product Owner)
Updates:	Updates sub-page

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It has been 10 years since the current default Wikimedia skin (Vector) was deployed. Over the last decade, the interface has been enriched with extensions, gadgets and user scripts. Most of these were not coordinated visually or cross-wiki. At the same time, web design, as well as the expectations of readers and editors, have evolved. We think it's time to take some of these ideas and bring them to the default experience of all users, on all wikis, in an organized, consistent way. Over the next couple of quarters, the readers web team will be researching and building out improvements to the desktop experience based on research and existing tools.

Our goals are to make Wikimedia wikis more welcoming and to increase the utility amongst readers and maintain utility for existing editors. We measure the increase of trust and positive sentiment towards our sites, and the utility of our sites (the usage of common actions such as search and language switching).

Currently, on most wikis, only logged-in users are able to opt-in individually. On selected wikis, our changes are deployed for all by default, and logged-in users are able to opt-out. We are hoping to increase the set of early adopter wikis gradually, until our improvements are default on all wikis in 2021.

Updates[edit source]

December 2021: Sticky header developments

The team has been working on building a sticky header. It will allow logged-in users to have access to important functionality (search, talk pages, history pages, language switching, and more) throughout the page. We have completed the development of the first version of the sticky header. Now, we are expecting to deploy an A/B test to the pilot wikis by the end of January. The header was based on the results of our user testing and volunteers' answers to the prototype testing.

December 2021: Language switching iteration[edit source]

Earlier this year, we moved the language button to a more convenient location at the top of the page. However, the results of our A/B test indicated that the new location of the button might be difficult to discover in the following cases:

For users that are accustomed to the previous location of the language switching functionality
For users that tend to switch languages across multiple wikis. In the latter case, this created a situation where the language switching functionality was available in different locations depending on the wiki used and whether that wiki was a part of the pilot wikis.

To improve on these issues, we are changing the new language button. Our goal is to make it easier to find across all scenarios. We hope to release these improvements in January 2022.

December 2021: Prototype testing for the table of contents[edit source]

Over the next few months, our main focus will be on making the table of contents persistent. Currently, the table of contents is available only at the top of the page. It is difficult to gain context on an entire article or page, or to navigate to individual sections, when outside the top of the page. We hope to make the table of contents easier to navigate through a page, as well as to understand its context.

We will be publishing our research, further documentation, and mockups, over the next few weeks. In the meantime, we welcome you to give us feedback on our current prototype on this page.

What is our objective?[edit source]

Imagine a wardrobe[edit source]

We would like to gradually rearrange this…
…into this :)

Currently, the interface…[edit source]

…doesn't match the expectations. …is cluttered and not intuitive. …doesn't highlight the community side. …isn't consistent with the mobile version.

The desktop interface does not match the expectations created by the modern web platforms. It feels disorienting and disconnected. Navigation and interface links are organized haphazardly.
There is clutter that distracts users from focusing on what they came for. It is challenging for readers to focus on the content. It is not possible for them to intuitively switch languages, search for content, or adjust reading settings. New editors are unable to use their intuition to set up their account, open the editor, or learn how to use non-article pages for moderation purposes.
A very small percentage of readers understand how Wikimedia wikis function. Many readers are not aware that the content they are reading is written by volunteers and updated frequently, or that they can potentially contribute as well.
The large difference in experiences among our desktop interface, apps, and the mobile web, makes it difficult for readers to connect our products. There is a lack of unity in the concept of Wikimedia sites.

How the changes are made[edit source]

Principles[edit source]

We do not touch the content. We do not remove any functionality. We are inspired by the existing gadgets. We do not make major changes in single steps. We do not touch skins other than Vector.

We are working on the interface only. No work will be done in terms of styling templates, the structure of page contents, map support, or cross-wiki templates.
Elements of the interface might move around, but all navigational items and other functionality currently available by default will remain.
We have analysed many wikis and have noticed many useful gadgets. Some of them definitely deserve to be surfaced and be a part of default experience.
Though our changes are easily noticeable, we are taking an evolutionary approach and want the site to continue feeling familiar to readers and editors. Each feature is discussed, developed, and deployed separately.
Skins other than Vector are out of the scope of our adjustments. We have frozen Vector to Legacy Vector, and begun deploying our features as parts of the new default Vector.

Deployment plan and timeline[edit source]

Test our features individually, share feedback, and join our early adopter wikis!

It is our intention to test our improvements in collaboration with a diverse set of volunteering early adopter wikis, both Wikipedias and sister projects.
Both prior to development and after deployment, we collect data (via A/B testing, prototype feedback rounds, etc.). In the case of significantly negative results, we will roll back our changes.
First three features (the new header, collapsible sidebar, and limiting content width) were deployed in July 2020.
Our second large feature, an improved search widget, was deployed to early adopter wikis in February, 2021.
We are hoping to increase the set of early adopter wikis gradually, until our improvements are default on all wikis in early 2022.

the majority of wikis	early adopter wikis
Initially (in 2020)
editors or readers don't see our changes by default	editors and readers see our changes by default
only editors can opt-in (from user preferences, by unchecking Use Legacy Vector in the Appearance tab)	only editors can opt-out (using Switch to old look in the sidebar, or directly from their users preferences)

List of early adopter wikis (test wikis)[edit source]

First group of wikis (marked as ◇ on the timeline above):

Second group of wikis (marked as ◇◇ on the timeline above):

Third group of wikis (marked as ◇◇◇ on the timeline above):

What features will be added[edit source]

We have not created a complete, detailed product specification. Each feature is built and implemented separately, over time. Features which have been created are still being adjusted and improved. Our decisions are based on community feedback, user testing, and extracted API data.