Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons App Usage in India: Key Insights and Challenges

Executive Summary

Overview

This document details a user research study designed to explore the experiences and perspectives of those contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons via the mobile app (hereafter referred to as "the app"). Using purposive sampling, we engaged 53 participants from India active in 14 distinct language projects to ensure representation across diverse linguistic communities.

Key Findings

Wikipedia editors have provided positive feedback about reading articles on the Wikipedia app.
Wikipedia contributors who primarily edit via the app have expressed a strong interest in enhancing the app’s user experience. This feedback highlights a preference for improvements that would address perceived limitations compared to the mobile web version of Wikipedia, specifically:
- Inability to create new articles directly within the app.
- Lack of a user sandbox for drafting and experimenting.
- Absence of a "Recent Changes" feature for monitoring edits.
- Limited options for adding categories to pages.
The Wikimedia Commons app needs feature updates and improvements in the user experience for contributors in uploading photos and viewing their contributions, due to:
- Increasing use of mobile photography.
- Growing popularity of Wiki Loves photo contests.
- Increasing importance of audio and video formats.
Users editing through the Wikipedia app seek a more intuitive and streamlined experience encompassing search, contribution, and the app's overall user interface, potentially offering advantages over the web version. Potential user engagement for editing Wikipedia through the app can be achieved through improved user experience such as creating new articles, editor-friendly interface, etc.

Introduction

Background

A language enthusiast from a small town in India, equipped with good internet access and a smartphone, joins the platform to write about a local tourist attraction in their native language. However, the mobile app's reduced functionality compared to the desktop version such as no user sandbox (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist/Wishes/Easy_access_to_the_sandbox_in_the_Wikipedia_mobile_application) and visual editor (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/VisualEditor) feature (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist/Wishes/Visual_editor_in_mobile_app) creates a barrier to effective contribution for new users. As a result, they may turn to other platforms to share their knowledge. This disconnect—which many new editors in the Global Majority (The term " global majority" refers to the vast and diverse population, primarily from the Global South, which constitutes approximately 85% of the world's people. This group encompasses individuals from developing countries and marginalized communities, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and representation in global initiatives, including those within the Wikimedia Movement.) have encountered—highlights a crucial issue the gap between desktop and mobile application editing experiences.

In 2016, the availability of affordable internet revolutionized the face of the internet in India, as millions of people rapidly gained access. This surge in connectivity followed a global trend of increasing mobile device usage, further accelerating the shift towards mobile internet access. The increasing internet access and information consumption suggest potential for a surge in Wikipedia editors, particularly from the Global South (https://www.statista.com/statistics/792074/india-internet-penetration-rate/). Understanding the experience of new users, especially those contributing in languages other than English, on the mobile app is crucial to identify any barriers to entry and ensure inclusivity.

Although initiatives like Project Tiger and the Wikimedia Foundation's Hardware Donation Program have provided hardware resource support to passionate contributors, a majority of people still use their mobile devices to access the internet and contribute to the Wikimedia projects. (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Hardware_donation_program) With mobile devices providing a key access point for many users, investment in and enhancement of the mobile editing experience is necessary.

CIS-A2K conducted this study to assess the ease of contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons via the mobile app in India. Our objective is to comprehend the current state of issues, identify challenges, and explore opportunities to enhance the intuitiveness and user-friendliness of mobile editing.

Acknowledgement

Wikimedia Foundation's commitment to improving the user experience on the Wikipedia mobile application is very much noticeable through various initiatives, such as improving search features, suggested edits (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Android_Suggested_edits) and recently introduced edit patrol features (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android/Anti_Vandalism) on the Android app. These efforts resonate with Wikipedia's millions of loyal and engaged mobile readers (nearly 6 million monthly active users across Android and iOS), demonstrating the app's potential for further growth (https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/2023-24_Report#Apps:_Loyalty_Counts). We would like to convey our heartfelt acknowledgement to the Wikimedia Foundation for their continuous efforts in developing and enhancing the Wikipedia app over the years. The foundation's dedication to hearing community feedback has significantly favored the app's usability for readers. We appreciate the Foundation's ongoing efforts in enhancing the readability and ease of contributions on the Wikipedia Android app.

This study aims to provide valuable insights into user behavior and preferences related to mobile Wikipedia access. By analyzing how users interact with the app, identifying pain points, and gathering feedback on existing features, our findings will provide data to inform decisions about enhancing the app's functionality and user satisfaction, serving as a resource for developers and the wider community.

Research Objectives

To evaluate how Indian users are using the Wikipedia App and Wikimedia Commons App in contributing to the projects/platform.
To identify user needs and determine what features the editors in India would want to have in the app.
To compare mobile applications of other user-generated content-sharing platforms such as Medium, Quora, and Reddit.

Methodology

Approach

Using a purposive sampling approach to target key user groups, the study involved surveys, in-person training sessions, and qualitative interviews with users. Additionally, a technical review of app performance and feature set was conducted.

Data Sources

To gather feedback on the Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons apps for evaluation purposes, we surveyed and interviewed 24 users, primarily very active contributors and leaders within the Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons communities.
I organized in-person training sessions for 23 students and 4 staff members of St. Aloysius (Deemed to be University) as part of the Wikipedia student association. The sessions focused on editing within the Wikipedia app and included tasks to collect feedback on specific app functionalities.
Our evaluation of the mobile app's technical performance involved comparing key workflows (editing text, adding photos, and creating articles) against the desktop version using performance tests.
Additional technical concerns and pain points as outlined in the Wikipedia Signpost (January 1, 2023: Essay) by user Clovermoss. The essay discusses various issues encountered while using the app, including crashes and difficulties in performing certain editing tasks. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2023-01-01/Essay)

Findings

Market Analysis

Smartphone Market Size and Growth Forecast

India has the world's second-largest smartphone user base. According to studies India has approximately over 620 million smartphone users. Out of that 590 million (~95%) of users are using Android smartphones and 25 million (~4%) of users use iOS smartphones.(https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/smartphone-users-expected-to-rise-84-to-859m-by-2022-assocham-pwc-study/articleshow/69260487.cms?from=mdr) (https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/icea-report-83-crore-smartphone-users-by-2022-6499952/)
Nearly 60% of smartphone users in India belong to the 18-34 age group and ~25% of smartphone users belong to the 35-54 age group. (https://www.marketresearch.com/Netscribes-India-Pvt-Ltd-v3676/Smartphone-India-32809075/)
Further growth is expected in the smartphone market in India and Android is likely to dominate the market. (https://www.marketresearch.com/Netscribes-India-Pvt-Ltd-v3676/Smartphone-India-32809075/)

Internet penetration in India

India will have over 800 million internet users in 2024. After Jio rolled out its 4G internet services, internet users number increased in massive numbers compared to approximately 100 million users before 2016. (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2040566)

Competitor Analysis

Recognizing the distinct purposes of platforms like Quora, Reddit, and Medium compared to Wikipedia (primary vs. secondary/tertiary information), a comparison of user experience across online information sharing platforms reveals a notable disparity between the Wikipedia mobile app and its desktop web interface.
Despite differences in content creation models between Wikipedia and platforms like Medium and Quora, aspects of the writing interface, such as formatting tools and ease of use, are generally more intuitive on the Medium/Quora apps compared to the Wikipedia app.
Users will find a similar experience navigating the main page and selecting languages on both the web and mobile versions of these apps.
Compared to the web version of Wikimedia Commons, the mobile app version has very less features and options for the contributors. Example: Options to share audio files, options to share pdf files, options to share videos.
Compared to other media sharing platforms like Flicker, there are no options to make even minor edits or changes in the image.

Key Findings from User Experience and Feedback

For reading, both new users (around 37.74%) and active editors (about 43.4%) reported a generally positive experience on the app, particularly praising the search functionality. However, about 18.86% of users remained neutral, suggesting areas for potential improvement in the mobile reading experience compared to desktop. This difference in experience between mobile and desktop warrants further investigation to understand the reasons for neutrality.
All users appreciated the "Edits" tab on the mobile app, which clearly displays contribution counts and suggested edits. This feature offers a convenient overview of contributions, something the desktop version handles differently.
Among experienced editors (50+ edits), the mobile app's suggested edits feature was overwhelmingly praised. The ability to directly edit Wikidata descriptions within the app was considered a significant advantage over the desktop workflow. However, due to limited editing experience, we couldn't gather comprehensive feedback from all new editors on this mobile-specific feature.
At a training session we conducted at St. Aloysius University with the Wikipedia Student Association (part of the Wikipedia Education Program), new and emerging editors working on the Kannada and Tulu language Wikipedias had a chance to compare mobile and desktop editing. They took to the suggested edits feature on the app very well and successfully added images to articles using the mobile image suggestions. However, they suggested a valuable improvement for the mobile experience: integrating a Wikimedia Commons search directly within the app.
Users reported an inconsistency between their language preferences and what they saw on the Wikipedia home page on mobile. Despite selecting their regional language as their priority, they frequently encountered a mix of English and their chosen regional language content. This issue does not occur on the desktop version.
Seasoned editors, including community leaders with admin experience who have been actively involved in organizing events and workshops, expressed a strong preference for greater consistency between the Wikipedia app's home page and the desktop and mobile web experiences. They highlighted several key differences that contribute to a less consistent user experience: the app's "Explore" page (equivalent to the desktop's "Main Page"), the "Top Read" section (instead of "In the News"), and the missing "Did You Know" section, a popular feature on the desktop site.
New editors (18 participants) found the app's "Explore" page less comprehensive than the web version, likely due to missing features like recent changes, "Did You Know," links to the Village Pump, and the Community Portal—all of which are present on the desktop site. We also received feedback from experienced editors about the absence of the recent changes tab on the app.
Editors from 12 language communities found the "Explore" page's display of content unexpected, as it prioritized English Wikipedia articles even when users had selected a different preferred language at the top in the selection tab. Editors from the two remaining communities expressed neutral opinions.

Screenshots

Explore page while scrolling
Explore page while opening the app
Wikipedia app language selection

≈70% of new users skipped adding their native language when first starting the app, leading to difficulties later when trying to add their language and searching for articles to edit. Even users aged 18-30. All 21 new users (students from the workshop) in this category found it challenging to prioritize their native language Wikipedia and encountered issues when searching and editing articles in their native languages.

We focused on the core text editing experience for this study, but based on the feedback we received, here are some recommendations that could also inform future research into other aspects of editing.

Our study found that veteran users make only minor edits (spelling correction, grammer correction, adding Wiki Links, adding article description) of content and images to the Wikipedia app. When we asked why it was so, we received various feedback.

Users prefer editing on the mobile web version because of its similar interface to the laptop or desktop version. However, editing tools like HotCat and RefToolbar are not available in the app. Additionally, despite having a category option, there is no option to add or remove categories.
In our user testing, we observed that the "Edit article" option, which is not enabled by default, was particularly difficult for some participants in the 40+ age group to locate. This suggests that the current placement of the edit function may not be intuitive for this demographic.
Users find the search function excellent for reading but not engaging for editors. It does not display a list of articles not available on Wikipedia, making it difficult to start a stub article. Android App vs Mobile web version searching article which is not available on Wikipedia. Left app does not give option to create a new article. On the right there is an option to create new article.

Screenshots

Android App
Mobile web version

Android App vs Mobile web version searching article which is not available on Wikipedia. Left app does not give option to create a new article. On the right there is an option to create new article.

When editing an article in the app, users can select a word and tap the link icon to link directly and tap preview icon to check if a corresponding Wikipedia article exists before publishing. However, unlike the desktop editor, the app doesn't accurately display red links (indicating non-existent articles) before publishing. Instead, even if no article exists, the link appears in blue, which is misleading. This lack of red link indication is a significant drawback. A valuable improvement would be to enhance this pre-publication check to:
- Display red links correctly when no corresponding article exists. Provide a direct option to create a wikilink (internal link) to a existing article. This could be implemented alongside the existing "open in new tab" and "read article" options.
- While text editing is relatively easy in the app, users are unaware of existing features for large-scale editing. Additionally, there is a lack of information about the "Add description" feature and where edits are saved.
The 24 active users of the Android app in India who frequently edit various Wikimedia projects like Wikisource and Wikidata value the offline reading feature but suggest including an option to open Wikipedia links either within the app or on the mobile web. Because they often access other sister projects through the mobile web version, they advocate for the flexibility to choose where links open. They also suggested that if a link is opened in the mobile web view, there should be an option to then open it in the app.
The Wikimedia Commons app is well-regarded for its features that assist in finding locations where photos are needed, its seamless integration with Wikidata for structured data, and the ability to bookmark pictures, locations, and items for later reference. This streamlined workflow is a significant advantage for contributors.
Users have reported instances of the app crashing unexpectedly, disrupting their workflow. Furthermore, there are ongoing issues with file uploads failing or stalling, leading to frustration and lost contributions. This instability needs to be addressed to ensure a smooth user experience.

A significant usability issue within the upload wizard is the incorrect display of image orientation. Photos sometimes appear disoriented or rotated incorrectly before upload, making it difficult for users to ensure their images will be displayed correctly on Commons. This creates uncertainty and necessitates extra steps to correct the orientation after uploading.
The upload wizard also suffers from problems with displaying hidden categories. These categories, important for organizing and classifying media on Commons, are not consistently or clearly displayed to users during the upload process. This makes it difficult for contributors to accurately categorize their uploads and can lead to miscategorization or a lack of proper categorization.
With the increasing popularity of podcasts, video tutorials, and other video-based content, supporting video uploads in the Commons app is essential. This would enable users to contribute video footage, animations, and other video media, further enriching the Commons repository and supporting diverse forms of knowledge sharing.
As the way people create and share content continues to evolve rapidly, it's crucial to conduct further study on the Wikimedia Commons app, taking into account the diverse needs of users globally. Improving the app will require collaboration with various stakeholders and community members to ensure it remains a relevant and effective tool for contributing to Wikimedia projects.

Conclusion

Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons are invaluable platforms for promoting free knowledge sharing, providing readers with a wealth of content. However, there are still opportunities to improve the editing experience. In the next phase of this study, we will develop recommendations to address these areas. We plan to collaborate closely with Wikimedians and the Wikimedia Foundation's product team, and we also welcome insights from industry product managers interested in contributing voluntarily.