WikiFundi/Pilot feedback

Pilot version of WikiFundi, published in January 2017, was distributed and tested by 3 different groups

Wikimedians from Africa. The pack was delivered to 8 groups to be tested in South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Egypt (testing from Winter 2017, depending on when the kit was received).
Fondation Orange Digital Schools Network facilitators, to be used in fall and winter 2017 in about 100 primary schools in Africa as part of a writing contest (see https://fr.vikidia.org/wiki/Projet:WikiChallenge_Ecoles_d%27Afrique)
During a pilot work in 3 schools in South Africa (the WIkiAfrica school projects), in summer and fall 2017

Bug report and improvement requests may be done here

Handling/Shipping

6 groups have been delivered their packs in person (or via known people).
2 groups have been sent their packs by postal mail (registered tracked). Nearly 3 months after the packs have been sent, they have not yet been delivered.

First feedback from wikimedians (16th of March 2017)

Questions initially asked (sent by email) Have you used WikiFundi in anyway yet?

a) If you have used your WikiFundi …

What was the occassion/s or event/s?
What was the experience like?
Are there any articles that have been created and since put onto Wikipedia? Please link the article/s if so!
Were there any problems?
Did the participants enjoy themselves?
Is there anything that you felt was needed that would add to the experience?

b) if you have not yet used your WikiFundi

What were the reasons why it has not yet been used?
Were there any problems with getting it working?
Is there anything we can do to help?

Team #1

Report:Until now we have used the wikifundi 3 times. During 2 Tests, During Workshop X 1. But an intensive test will be comming in the univesity next year in the context of wikipddia education program ,it was our first goal for the request

the wifi is well
the power bank doesn't work , we recharge it more the 10 times without results.

Our comment: we need to do a battery exchange (at Wikimania ?)

Team #2

Report: I have not used the device for any event yet , but I have tested it. At the moment, everything is working fine. Except that I couldn't find a place to start a new article. Perhaps, I am not checking well...

Our comment:

You can from the home page. Just enter a page title and click to start an article.

Then, it is a wiki. You can just create a red link on any page, then click on it.

However, importantly... YOU MUST BE LOGGUED IN

anonymous editing is not possible (eh... no IP number...). So either log you as an administrator

Login: admin

Password: adminadmin

Or simply create an account

Once you are loggued in, you may enter any title for a future article from the home page, then start ahead.

Note that by default, visual editor is enabled.

Outcome to be taken into account

must make it clearer on the home page that login is mandatory (at the moment, there are no alerts)
must be added in the booklet guide.

Team #3

Report
What was the occassion/s or event/s?

A rapid Test Session on january
French Contribution Edit-athon on 18th March

What was the experience like?

We use the WikiPack essentially for Initiation Group where we describe and explane Wikipedia to newbies.
Are there any articles that have been created and since put onto Wikipedia? Please link the article/s if so! No

Were there any problems?

Users (trainer & newbie) notice that they can not modify old articles on the WikiFundi.

Did the participants enjoy themselves?

Yes, it helps us to have a better management of Internet connexion. Now, during our meeting, the group of initiation have their own access on WikiFundi which is different of the advanced groups. Users and Testers (5) appreciate :
- Facility to connect to WikiFundi
- Facility to find articles
- the great data base of articles
- Good life of battery

Is there anything that you felt was needed that would add to the experience?

The WikiPack is like a rescue material for the User Group when we have a workshop. It is always with us to prevent cut of internet or electricity. It is like an insurance

Our answer
It is a wiki guys ! Just do whatever you want with it. In any cases, I just checked... those articles are not protected at all. I think your user might not have been loggued in when he checked, which would explain why the articles were read only.
Remember : pages can only be modified by loggued in users. Account creation is open to everyone.

Our takeaway

same as above. Clarify the mandatory need of logging in.

Team #4

Report
What was the occassion/s or event/s? I use my WikiFundi at 2 events :

Training of Polytechnic School Students and Women's Associations

What was the experience like? It was a good experience for students :

Access to information without internet connection

Were there any problems?

No

Did the participants enjoy themselves?

The students appreciated because they have access to different information

Is there anything that you felt was needed that would add to the experience?

Students want a WikiFundi for the school

Our takeaway

find a way to propose WikiFundi + Rasp to the schools asking (there is no free lunch though)

Team #5

Report
I've had a chance to show off the Pi both on campus and to community members in the South Peninsula, one of whom is making an appointment for me with one of the principals.
Before actual performance comments, a more strategic one: whereas I had assumed that WikiFundi instances already contained the articles from the relevant Wikipedia, in fact they are empty, prior to user-generated content. This might force me to rethink my research plan, but first I'd prefer to try to find how (whether?) to copy the (modest) contents of Afrikaans Wikipedia and Xhosa Wikipedia into instances of WikiFundi.
Technical feedback:

With a Linux machine, the automatic popping up of a WikiFundi browser tab when the machine joins the WiFi network failed. User can therefore not access WF.
Same with some Android devices.
With large screens browser display doesn't expand to fill screen, and on mobile devices the six icons appear one above the other, each filling the screen. Users seeing the first one don't realise there are others below until told.

I'm optimistic that none of what I've mentioned is more than a teething problem. But that's my job, isn't it?

Our comment

bugs have been recorded
to get offline content : http://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Content (apparently no Xhosa and Af yet proposed in download).

Second feedback in June

A first team

What was the occasion/s or event/s?

We have used the WikiFundi device two times since we got it. We used it to showcase how contributors can contribute to Wikipedia when even offline at the Ashsesi University during the launch of the Education Program. We also used it during a Wiki Club meeting at the Ashesi University were people created accounts and tried the interface. We intend to hugely use it during a bigger education convention this summer.

What was the experience like?

It was smooth only that, the signing page sometimes showed as a pop up on a mac and not in the browser. So if students mistakenly closed the pop up window we had to restart the device or disconnect and connect again to have the login window on their pcs.

Are there any articles that have been created and since put onto Wikipedia? Please link the article/s if so!

We have not created any article yet, however we intend to put it to practical use during the summer as mentioned above.

Is there anything that you felt was needed that would add to the experience? Any suggestion of improvement ?

Well just thinking wide, currently the education dashboard monitors articles that are already written and live on Wikipedia. Not all these articles deserve to be on Wikipedia, can we put the education dashboard on Wikifundi and lecturers use that as a review stage and publish only the best articles on Wikipedia? Students get hurt and demotivated when their articles get deleted and this could be a grooming ground to perfect their work before finally publish.

Can you list the top 3 benefits of this tool in your opinion ?

Ability to use it in internet deprived areas
Ability to visit created articles and correct mistakes before it goes live on Wikipedia (Gives room for coaching).
A future benefit to me will be the education program in the African context. It will fit the purpose of lectures reviewing students work and selecting the best for publishing on Wikipeddia.

Another team

What was the occasion/s or event/s?

The Wikimedia Ghana User Group used it for the 2017 Art+Feminism Workshop in March

What was the experience like?

Not as easy and straight forward as the online procedure

Are there any articles that have been created and since put onto Wikipedia? Please link the article/s if so!

No. It was attempted but unsuccessful

Were there any problems since last we got in touch mid March ?

No

Is there anything that you felt was needed that would add to the experience? Any suggestion of improvement?

WikiFundi can simplify its UI some more

Secondly to create a Wikipedia article, one needs sources. In an offline environment I realised users could create an article but without sources because a source like a news website requires active internet connection to visit and cite. I suspect WikiFundi articles might get deleted when finally uploaded online because it comes without sources. :Perhaps there should be an added automatic template to let page patrollers know, this article is from an offline editor hence, the lack of sources.

I strongly believe in an environment where there is a prolonged lack of electricity or the internet for participants, there's a likelihood participants don't have computers. Perhaps WikiFundi might consider installations on laptops too (if not being done already).

Can you list the top 3 benefits of this tool in your opinion?

Being able to start/draft an article without electricity and internet for the time being

Todo list

Fix the problem of the apple.captive window (reported on Macintosh)
In some (Linux) environnment, the splash screen would not work
Separate French and English versions
Time chip (1 dollar according to Internet in a box) so that the Wiki log would be correct
Change homepage to reflect "list of articles available" rather than recent changes. Add mention of the obligation to log in