Mobile/Research

This is both an internal document and a work in progress

Background

The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) is the non-profit charitable organization that operates Wikipedia. We are dedicated to encouraging growth, development, and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge. In 2010, the Wikimedia Foundation developed a five-year strategic plan, which includes development of our mobile applications and properties as well as a geographic focus on India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, and Egypt/Arabic speaking countries.

The Wikimedia Foundation currently maintains a mobile gateway (m.wikipedia.org) that allows users to access Wikipedia in different languages through mobile devices. Additionally, WMF also has an official iPhone application (which one, link?) which is downloaded ~150,000 times per month. There are also a number of third-party iPhone, iPad, and Android apps, the most popular of which include Wikipanion/Wikipanion Plus, Articles, and Quickpedia. We estimate that X% of Wikipedia users worldwide currently accesss Wikipedia through these mobile pathways.

Objectives

To get a broad understanding of how Wikipedia readers access, read, search, consume, or otherwise use Wikipedia content on mobile devices.
To observe and understand Wikipedia editor's current editing practices, with an emphasis on mobile devices but to also including desktop and laptop computers and other devices used in their editing processes.
To get insights on cultural and technical ecology of Wikipedia in different geographies and environments, specifically the US, India and Brazil. Specifically to identify notable behaviors; preferences; barriers; mobile + data services, brands, and platforms; and content delivery that can develop our mobile growth.
To identify both needs + opportunities for mobile accessibility and development in US, Brazil, and India that can be extended to our entire community and users.
To present needs + opportunities and prioritize in collaboration with the mobile business + design + development team.

Getting Involved

Please leave your general feedback, questions, comments or concerns here. If you have feedback about a more specific aspect of our work, please leave it on the associated "Discussion" or "Talk" page. We look forward to it!

Other ways to get involved:

One way to get involved
Another way to get involved
Or just to say hi.

Works in Progress

| India | User experience research conducted in New Delhi and Bangalore

For detailed description of the research and analysis, see India research project.

| Brazil | User experience research conducted in Sao Paulo and Salvador

For detailed description of the research and analysis, see Brazil research project.

| United States |User experience research conducted in San Francisco, Chicago and Dallas

For detailed description of the research and analysis, see US research project.

|Mobile Survey |Quantitative survey conducted in key geographies in nine languages

For detailed description of the methodology, community involvement, research and analysis, see home page of mobile survey.

Notes from Meetings

March 23