Mobile design/Editing

This document describes the design for the editing workflow for logged in mobile site users.

Rationale

Wikipedians want to be able to contribute on their mobile devices, and some already do by using the desktop site. By making the editing process more mobile-friendly, we hope to engage these users in more productive work.

User research

Mockup of proposed changes to the desktop editing interface that eliminate clutter

We know that some highly active editors are already editing on their phones and tablets, either by using third-party apps like Wiki Edit, or by accessing the desktop site via their mobile device.[1] However, they report that the experience of using the desktop site on a phone is extremely painful and not a sustainable solution. Additionally, editing the desktop site from a mobile device may lead to serious problems like unintentional mass reverts, which can harm both the site and its users.

A mobile-friendly editing experience should minimize clutter and maximize the user's ability to manipulate text in a focused area (e.g., section-level or even more granular editing).

Desktop editing

There are some relevant takeaways from the Usability Initiative on editing in general:

1. Prominent section-level edit links are important. Users tend to get lost when editing the entirety of a large article, rather than just a section of it.
2. Excess clutter in the editing interface confuses new users and keeps them from discovering the save button.
3. It is important to distinguish between the "read" and "edit" states. Without clear visual cues, users get confused.

User stories

• As a logged in user, I want to be able to contribute on mobile.

Design requirements

• Create an editing interface that minimizes the pain of scrolling/zooming
• Remove all cruft from the editing interface footer (categories, transcluded templates, markup and special symbol help, etc.)
• Create an obvious distinction between editing interface and non-editing interface (potentially in collaboration with Visual editor team)

Project phases

Still in planning.

User experience

TBD

Developer card wall

• ...