Grants:IEG/The Wikiquiz

The Wikipedia app is just web browser but only can visit Wikipedia. Less interactivity and fun decrease the adhesiveness and using time of its' users. So as Wikipedia itself, it's hard to pay enough attention and concentrate on the content of Wikipedia for readers in their fragmentary time, which make the Wikipedia App away from the most active time of mobile using.

A quiz app, called Wikiquiz, designed for increasing the interactivity between the content of Wikipedia and readers, and for easy-using during the fragmentary time. The App will extend the "Wikipedia addiction", to maximize the effect of this phenomenon.

The main idea of this proposal is, we want to design and develop an app for engaging people's adhesiveness and increasing the "relation" between readers and Wikipedia. And we test it, improve it then finally distribute it.

• Preparation: In the first half month, we will make the blueprint of the structure and function of the app in detail. And find a cheapest testing devices with good condition. Both of us will do some specific study on App development. Designing the icon also will be done during the preparation.

• Developing: We will mainly focus on a iOS app due to the ease of development (less resolutions to deal with, etc.). The first full feature version (v1.0) is expected to be finished in roughly a month. then make a Android Version. Mys_721tx will be in charge of most the coding while Addis helps the rest. The User interface design (UID) and icon design will be Eric's work.

• Testing and Improvement: We will try to get some people who using Wikipedia or not in different gender and age, then improve the App based on the feedback. We hope our App can pick different quiz for specific interest by user's gender and age, to get the best user experience.

• Content: Most content work will done by Addis. We'd like to have huge amount of content for an active user using a year before distribute it. To avoid single topic, we will ask some volunteer in different background to perfect the "quiz pool".

• Distribute and next step. After some complicated registration and paper work, the app is finally distributed. But our work will keep continue: New function, new content and bug fixing.

• Publicity: Weibo.com is still our platform on promoting new tools^[1], activities and projects. There will be some promotion on social media as before. We will also trying to find our partners on WLM Guokr.com^[2], to see if anything they can help.

1070 - 1370 USD

• A used iPhone for testing: 0-300 USD (can be re-sold, or maybe rent one from WMF developing team)
• In-city transportation: 50 USD (public transportation only, for testing meeting)
• Bank Fee: 20 USD (can send a check back when return the fund)
• Server: might be free
• Program Management: 1000 USD
  • Addis: 400 USD
  • Mys 721tx: 450 USD
  • Eric: 150 USD

The target users are readers and editors of Chinese Wikipedia, and the potential readers(who like to learn new knowledge).

Another specific target is, our app designed for people who spends lots of time on commuting, which concentrate in big cities, or who has many fragmentary time, like university students.

We want our app suitable for various groups of people, but will be limited by these facts: own a smartphone, afforable interenet access, less content diversity on Chinese Wikipedia

Most of our contributors come from readers, we believe in situation in China, increasing number of user will make huge change to the status of Wikipedia. Developing content and quality is a long-term effort, but increase market occupancy will accelerate this process.

This project will simply improve the coverage of users. And the app itself is a topic and tool can be used for publicity. In further developing, we also planned to add function to ask and encourage people send error feedback when they reading during the app-using, or even make a small edits.

In the prefect version of the app, we expect to highly increase the relation between Wikipedia and it's readers, or even change it by developing the idea of "Wikipedia addiction"^[3] that readers keep open new links during reading to find fun in this behavior, to achieve the goal that our readers rely on Wikipedia(either the app or Wikipedia itself, or both) to kill time.

• Outreach strategy
  • Soft advertising: posts and articles about users' own experience, including the topics like "best way to kill time"and "learn when boring"; On BBS and Tech-websites, or everywhere
  • Social Media: official introduction, quiz campaign, spreading user experience
  • Fit the current event:More aviation questions during the missing of Malaysia Airline.
  • Using funny feedbacks or any topic may have explosive effect

By the end of the grant. We expect to have a version with basic function and analysis system，which allows user download from App Store.

In further, we have following idea may add to the app:

• Android Version
• In English, in traditional Chinese
• More topics
• Function: single-topic, well-designed the learning trail

We will also post our codes(probably on GitHub) at the end of the round. So anyone who is interest in developing it or add more language options can easily find our work.

We'd like to evaluate our effort after six month, and decide to either renew the project to add some new features, or apply the program grant for a marathon developing.

• A finished app.

  This app should be well-designed with good UI and basic function which include enough content.

• Welcomed by readers

  A survey may help

• By referenced similar app, the number of target audience we can reach, we set our goal as 10 thousand downloads.

Need target-setting tips?

• Addis Wang: An admin of Chinese Wikipedia who works a lot on outreach in China. Grantee of IEG on Social Media project. Main coordinator of Wiki Loves Monuments in China 2013/14, and of many offline/online activities.
• Mys 721tx: A Chinese Wikipedia admin and OTRS member, a part time iOS developer.
• Ericmetro: Wikipedian and Commons contributor, main designer of Chinese Wikipedia 2013 mainpage layout. Provided graphic design supports for online projects of Chinese Wikipedia community.

• Ted Chien: Admin of Chinese Wikipedia, Chair of the Wikimedia Taiwan and Software Engineer

Please paste a link below to where the relevant communities have been notified of this proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions. Need notification tips?

Do you think this project should be selected for an Individual Engagement Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project in the list below. Other feedback, questions or concerns from community members are also highly valued, but please post them on the talk page of this proposal.

• QuizUp is a similar approach to make a contest with friends and strangers. But it's not so popular in China right now. I'd like to see a well designed and functioned app to let people aware the existence of Chinese Wikipedia. --Fantasticfears (talk) 14:25, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
• Community member: add your name and rationale here.