Wikipedia Usability Initiative

Wikipedia Usability Initiative logo

The Wikipedia Usability Initiative ran from 2009 to 2011 and was realized by a grant from the U.S.-based Stanton Foundation. The goal of this initiative is to measurably increase the usability of Wikipedia for new contributors by improving the underlying software on the basis of user behavioral studies, thereby reducing barriers to public participation. With an initial focus on English Wikipedia, eventually this research and development will be implemented across all languages and possibly to other Wikimedia projects.

Contribution Ideal

• Become involved and share concepts for the development of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
• Create an article with a detailed summary and add it to the list of proposals and ideas.

Information

Wikipedia Usability Initiative presentation by Naoko Komura (PDF)

• This project has a limited scope which corresponds to our grant, so please get familiar with this to best contribute.
• If you are new here, you may be assisted by taking a look at our frequently asked questions.
• If you want to learn more about other present and past efforts to improve usability, our links to related sites may be helpful.
• We're collecting a list of resources that may be useful in the field of human-computer-interface design and development.

Work in Progress

Research and Evaluation

• Qualitative Environment Survey being conducted on existing MediaWiki extensions which may provide some benefit to the usability of Wikipedia.
• Quantitative Statistical Survey of English Wikipedia being conducted which focuses on volume of edits, new editors, and other related metrics.
• Usability and Experience Study of new and non editors of English Wikipedia (March, 2009).
• Usability, Experience, and Progress Study (September 2009).
• Usability, Experience, and Evaluation Study (March 2010).
• Beta Feedback - Retention and Survey Results - overview of feedback from our Beta testers.
• Statistical Evaluation - overview and results of tools we're developing to collect anonymous usage data.
• Good Reads - interesting research and industry literature on relevant topics.

Design

• Details on the three Releases:
  • Acai Designs: Phase I of proposed usability improvements.
  • Babaco Designs: Phase II of proposed usability improvements.
  • Citron Designs: Phase III of proposed usability improvements.
• Style Guide
• Cross Cultural Considerations

Development

• Sandbox for testing experimental code and evaluating existing extensions.
• Prototype of proposed usability improvements for various Wikipedia projects.

Getting Involved

• Feedback on the staging of changes seen on our prototype sites is being collected.
• We need Your Opinion on changes that might affect you.