Contributors/Account Creation Experiments

Account creation is the first step toward participation on Wikimedia projects, yet current registration flows create unnecessary friction, particularly on mobile. Many good faith contributors abandon the process due to poor discoverability, outdated form design, or technical barriers such as IP blocks.

This project focuses on running small, measurable experiments to make account creation clearer, easier, and more discoverable, especially for mobile readers and temporary account holders. The goal is to increase successful registrations without harming downstream outcomes such as constructive editing and retention.

• January 2026 Early planning, research, and design.
• March 2026 Release first version tests for Focus Areas 1, 2, & 3
• Next - Improve the Account Creation Experience, v2

• Account registrations have declined significantly since 2019,^[1] contributing to fewer new active editors.
• On mobile, the option to create an account is difficult to find and confusing.
• The current wiki account creation form performs below industry benchmarks. In Q2 FY25/26 on English Wikipedia, less than 39% of people who began filling out at least one field on the "Create account" form successfully completed account creation. ^[2]
• The dated UX and error handling for the account creation form’s Password and Username fields appear to create significant friction during form completion. On mobile, drop-offs on the Password and Confirm Password fields account for roughly 26% of all bounces, compared with only 6.75% on desktop. This likely reflects the increased difficulty of entering and verifying these fields on smaller mobile screens and keyboards.^[3]
• We do little to convert successful newcomers using temp accounts to regular accounts.
• Many good faith users encounter IP blocks during registration, with limited clarity or resolution paths.
• On mobile, most users drop off at the Username field after interacting with the field. This is most likely due to a validation error.^[4]
• The Password and Confirm Password field drop-offs account for roughly 26% of all bounces on mobile, while they only account for 6.75% on desktop. This likely highlights users’ difficulty typing characters using the smaller mobile screen and editor.^[5]

Improving account creation strengthens the contributor pipeline. More successful registrations will:

• Increase participation from mobile users, the fastest-growing segment of readers.
• Generate a healthier flow of new editors who are more likely to return and remain engaged.

This work is an early step in a longer-term effort to improve the newcomer experience and support a sustainable, multi-generational editing community.

The current account creation process creates major barriers for prospective contributors: poor mobile discoverability, IP blocks without clear resolution paths, a confusing, outdated account creation form, and minimal interventions aimed at converting readers or temporary account holders into active contributors. Addressing these issues will increase activation, boost long-term participation, and strengthen the foundation of a sustainable contributor pipeline.

This work sits under the WMF FY25-26 Annual Plan Wiki Experiences 1 Objective:

• Contributions increase because volunteers are offered compelling opportunities and understand their impact.

Account Creation experiments are tracked under Wiki Experiences 1.8 Key Result:

• By the end of Q4, achieve a 5 percent relative increase in the mobile web account creation completion rate, supported by at least three controlled experiments that each deliver a minimum 2 percent relative improvement within their target audience.

At the experiment level:

• Each successful experiment shows at least a 2 percent relative increase in account creation for its defined audience.
• Guardrail metrics such as constructive activation and retention are monitored to ensure no harmful downstream effects.

We are currently investigating ideas in four main areas, in consultation with other teams and the community.

Experiments that focus on simplifying and modernizing the core account creation flow, with an emphasis on mobile usability and clarity. Explore ways to reduce cognitive load by streamlining the interface, removing or consolidating legacy warnings, and clearly explaining the benefits of creating an account in newcomer friendly language.

This test focuses on improving the usability of the mobile web account creation form by reducing visual clutter and cognitive load. On smaller devices, the current form is difficult to scan and navigate, with excessive helper text and redundant elements competing for limited screen space, especially when the keyboard is open. To address this, the test introduces a simplified form layout that removes unnecessary elements, streamlines helper text, and improves the overall information hierarchy in line with Codex design guidelines.

• Current form
  Current form
• Proposed V1 simplifications
  Proposed V1 simplifications

Starting 26 March 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: English Wikipedia.

This test focuses on reducing friction during account creation by making the username policy easier to understand and improving key form interactions. It introduces a concise, accessible summary of the username policy so newcomers are not immediately faced with a lengthy and complex document. (T419395) In addition, it includes targeted usability improvements to the form, such as a standard "reveal password" option (T419413) and real-time username validation to provide immediate feedback. (T419401)

• A quick overview of the username policy
  A quick overview of the username policy

Hypothesis: If we improve the account creation form, the registration completion rate among mobile users who land on the form will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.

For this test we improved live username validation, clarified the username policy popover, and added a reveal password button. We also removed redundant elements and unnecessary, jarring warning messages, improved the form's information hierarchy, and aligned the design with Codex design system guidelines. We ran this as an A/B test, showing the redesigned form to half of eligible users and the existing form to the other half.

• Phabricator epic: T409236
• Pilot wiki: English Wikipedia
• Audience: 50% of all logged-out mobile sessions at English Wikipedia during the dates of this experiment
• Control: 4,673 subjects (49.91%)
• Treatment: 4,690 subjects (50.09%)
• Dates of experiment: June 18, 2026 – June 30, 2026
• Goal metric: Permanent account creation rate - the proportion of users who created a permanent (aka named) account. This excludes temporary accounts.

The results were clear and positive. Users who saw the redesigned form created permanent accounts at a rate of 20.4%, compared to 16.4% in the control group. That works out to a 24.4% relative increase in the account creation rate, far exceeding our hypothesis goal of a 2% increase, and the experiment reached a 100% chance of winning. The 95% confidence interval for the increase is entirely positive, ranging from 13.7% to 35.1%. In other words, while our best estimate of the lift is 24.4%, even the most conservative end of the plausible range is a 13.7% increase, still well above our 2% goal. This gives us strong confidence that the improvement is real rather than a product of chance.

We also looked at two secondary metrics:

Proportion of account creation attempts with email increased by 20.3%. Meaning that not only did we increase the number of accounts created, but a greater percentage of these accounts are adding their email address (which is still optional but encouraged).

Special:CreateAccount user policy link clickthrough decreased by 68.2%. The decline in clickthrough to the username policy was greater than anticipated. We plan to release a follow-up improvement to help ensure people can easily access the username guidance they need, and understand that clicking on the guidance will not force them to navigate away from the form: T430604 Account Creation form: Simplify username guidance based on experiment data and user research.

Many mobile users who reached the account creation form never completed it. This experiment suggests that the form itself has been a source of friction: simplifying the form and giving people live feedback on their username, clearer username guidance, and the ability to check their password translated into a substantial increase in completed registrations.

• Account Creation form: Simplify username guidance based on experiment data and user research (T430604)

• Learn whether the benefits block has a large effect on Special:CreateAccount on desktop (T430785)
• Move Account Creation Form Changes from GrowthExperiments to MediaWiki Core (T429029)

This test will explore more ambitious improvements to the account creation experience, building on insights from earlier iterations. This experiment explores whether offering auto-generated, available username suggestions during account creation can reduce friction and help more users successfully create an account. The experiment focuses on the username step because it is a major source of abandonment. Many users encounter validation errors, unavailable usernames, or uncertainty about what username to choose, requiring multiple attempts and increasing the likelihood that they leave the process. By providing valid, available suggestions that can be selected with a single tap or click, the experiment aims to reduce cognitive effort, minimize errors, and streamline account creation, particularly on mobile devices where text entry is more challenging. Ultimately, this work seeks to determine whether simplifying username selection can increase account creation completion rates and help more potential contributors successfully join Wikimedia projects.

• V3 Account Creation design
  V3 Account Creation design

Hypothesis

Removing the benefits block from the desktop Special:CreateAccount form will not reduce the permanent account creation rate. Based on prior mobile A/B test results, we expect the rate to hold steady or improve slightly.

Prior mobile account creation experiments (1.8.3) showed that simplifying the account creation form, including hiding the benefits block, improved registration completion. This experiment tested whether removing the benefits block on desktop has any negative effect. Treatment was identical to control except the benefits block was removed. If removal is safe on all platforms, we can delete a substantial amount of non-trivial code.

• A/B Test Duration: Jul 9 – Jul 27, 2026 (19 days)
• Traffic: English Wikipedia, 50% of eligible traffic
• Control: 9,734 subjects
• Treatment: 9,848 subjects

The guardrail held. Treatment showed a small, non-significant positive effect on permanent account creation rate (+0.33% relative, 55.8% chance of winning). We found no evidence of a regression or negative impact from removing the benefits block.

The secondary metric points in the same direction: create-account-button clickthrough showed a non-significant positive effect (+10.2% relative, 70.5% chance of winning).

Neither result is conclusive on its own, but both metrics moving in the same positive direction suggests that removing the benefits block may modestly improve account creation completion, and makes a meaningful regression unlikely. At this effect size and traffic level, confirming the guardrail result would require roughly a year of additional data.

This experiment was designed around an expectation of no change or a very small improvement, and effects that small are inherently difficult to prove: the smaller the true difference between treatment and control, the larger the sample required to distinguish it from noise. Reaching significance here would take roughly a year of additional data, which is not a reasonable cost for a minor feature change. Given no detectable regression, a possible small benefit, and meaningful reductions in UI and code complexity, we can move forward with the treatment experience.

By the time someone lands on Special:CreateAccount, they have already decided to create an account. Our goal at that point is to remove distractions and streamline completion, not to persuade. The benefits block works against this in several ways:

• Redundant content. The statistics display repeat figures already shown on the Main Page, so they add visual noise without new information.
• Wrong place for the message. We should do more to connect new account holders to their impact and to the broader community, but the account creation form is not the right surface for that work. It belongs in post-registration touchpoints like onboarding and the Newcomer homepage.
• Visual misalignment. The block's layout is inconsistent with the rest of the form, and the statistics are rendered in a font size larger than the primary "Create your account" call to action, drawing attention away from the one action we want users to complete.

Removing the block simplifies the page around its single purpose and lets us retire the non-trivial code that maintains it.

• Complete work on: T429029 Move Account Creation Form Changes from GrowthExperiments to MediaWiki Core
• Recommendation to run a future experiment to further reduce cognitive load for newcomers: T419305 Vector 2022 defaults for new accounts: collapse tools & appearances menus

When mobile users start an edit while logged out, they encounter a jarring warning message with editing as a temporary account being the main Call to Action. This interface can feel abrupt and discouraging, and it frames temp account editing as the primary path rather than encouraging users to create an account.

• Current warning (Control)
  Current warning (Control)
• New design (Treatment)
  New design (Treatment)

Hypothesis: If we improve the logged out edit warning, the account creation rate among newcomers on mobile exposed to the warning will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.

Starting 16 March 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: Arabic Wikipedia, French Wikipedia, Spanish Wikipedia, German Wikipedia, Russian Wikipedia, Chinese Wikipedia, Italian Wikipedia, Portuguese Wikipedia, Persian Wikipedia, Polish Wikipedia.

The experiment started on 16 March 2026 and reached statistical significance on 26 April 2026 (p-value <0.05). The experiment groups included 194,029 subjects in the control group and 192,973 subjects in the treatment group.

Users in the treatment who were exposed to the updated message were 27% more likely to create a permanent account compared to the control group. A 16% relative decrease in temporary account creation was observed among users who saw the updated message, indicating a shift toward permanent account registration.

No significant change in constructive edit rates was detected, suggesting the increase in permanent registrations did not negatively impact downstream contributor metrics.

Small improvements to the earliest moments of the editing journey can have a meaningful impact further down the funnel and support long-term contributor growth. By making the logged out warning less intimidating and more clearly encouraging account creation, we increased permanent registrations without reducing constructive contributions.

Experiments that address the limited visibility of account creation for logged out traffic on mobile web. Explore clearer and more intuitive entry points to account creation, ensuring users can easily distinguish between logging in and registering.

• Current header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
  Current header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
• Proposed header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
  Proposed header on mobile web (for logged out traffic)
• Proposed header on mobile web with menu expanded
  Proposed header on mobile web with menu expanded

Starting 26 March 2026 this new interface is tested at the following wikis: Hindi Wikipedia, Indonesian Wikipedia, Bengali Wikipedia, Thai Wikipedia, Hebrew Wikipedia.

Hypothesis: If we add a user account button to the header on mobile web, then the number of new permanent accounts created on mobile will increase by at least 2% relative to the control group.

We added an account menu button to the header of the mobile web experience. The button surfaces account creation and login actions more prominently, a small change, but one designed to reduce the friction of finding and starting the registration process.

To measure its impact, we ran an A/B test with logged-out mobile web users. Half of participants saw the new header (treatment), while the other half saw the existing experience (control).

• Pilot wikis: Hindi Wikipedia, Indonesian Wikipedia, Bengali Wikipedia, Thai Wikipedia, and Hebrew Wikipedia
• Audience: 7,922,773 participants enrolled in this experiment
• Experiment dates: March 31, 2026 to June 28, 2026

The results were clear and positive.

Users who saw the new account menu were approximately 25% more likely to create a permanent account than those who saw the existing experience.

This far exceeded our goal of a 2% increase, and the result was statistically significant, meaning it's very unlikely to be due to chance.

We also looked carefully at whether the new registrants were contributing constructively.

The concern was that making registration easier might attract lower-quality contributors.

That didn't happen: there was no meaningful difference in constructive editing behavior between the two groups.

This suggests that this change didn't disrupt the quality of contributions, and our overall mobile editing environment remained just as constructive as before.

Many people who visit Wikimedia projects on mobile are never prompted to create an account in a way that's easy to find and act on.

This experiment suggests that a meaningful share of those visitors are willing to register, they just need the option to be more discoverable.

A small interface improvement translated into a substantial increase in new accounts.

Based on these results, we're rolling out the mobile account menu to all Wikimedia Foundation wikis on mobile web:

• T428220 Scale Mobile Account Menu to All WMF Wikis.

We'll continue monitoring contribution quality and username blocks among new registrants as the rollout expands.

We will also look into the high-level impact of this work:

• T430581 Analyze the impact of WE1.8 account creation improvements on registration rates (WE1.8 FY 25-26).

Experiments that explore how and when temporary account holders are most motivated to create a full account. Experiments may test targeted prompts or notifications shown at high intent moments, supported by lightweight research such as surveys to better understand Temporary Account holder motivations and barriers. The emphasis is on clearly communicating how a permanent account unlocks features like mentorship, Suggested Edits, and community recognition.

If we limit competing calls to action and highlight the benefits of account creation, temporary account holders exposed to the experience will have a registration rate at least 5% higher than the control group.

This experiment simplified the post-edit experience for new temporary account holders. In the control, users who just published an edit faced two pop-up dialogs with multiple links, plus a welcome notification that arrived at the same moment. The treatment replaced this with a single streamlined dialog confirming their edit was published and highlighting the benefits of creating an account; the welcome notification was removed to keep attention on that one message. The benefits copy was drawn from interviews with newcomers who had previously edited via temporary or IP accounts, so the dialog describes the value of registration in their own words.

• Phabricator task: T416418 Explore opportunities to guide Temporary Account users toward full account creation
• Duration: Jul 20, 2026 - Jul 29, 2026
• Traffic: frwiki, arwiki, eswiki, enwiki; 50% of eligible traffic, split 50/50 control/treatment
• Sample:
  • Control: 2,830 subjects
  • Treatment: 2,841 subjects
• Goal metric: Permanent account creation rate – the proportion of users who created a permanent (aka named) account, excluding temporary accounts
• Secondary metrics:
  • Permanent account activation rate
  • Temp User Toast/Drawer "Create account CTA" clickthrough rate

The hypothesis was confirmed, well beyond the 5% threshold. Treatment showed a large, decisive positive effect on permanent account creation rate: 3.66% vs. 1.94% for control (+87% relative, 99.8% chance of winning). The 95% credible interval for the relative change is [26.8%, 147%], meaning there is a 95% chance the true lift falls in that range. Even in the worst case within that interval, the treatment improves permanent account creation by at least 26.8%; 87% is simply the most likely lift.

The clickthrough secondary metric strongly supports this: Temp User "Create account CTA" clickthrough rate rose from 2.12% to 7.15% (+234% relative, 100% chance of winning), showing the treatment clearly succeeded at drawing attention to account creation.

Permanent account activation rate declined in relative terms (28.8% for treatment vs. 41.8% for control; although there is not enough data for significance). However, because the treatment created far more accounts, the absolute number of new account holders who went on to edit was higher in the treatment group.

We have ended this experiment and will release the changes (from the treatment group) to all wikis. These changes only impact the post-edit moment Temp Account holders experience.

Experiments that explore whether exposing Reading Lists to logged out readers can create meaningful opportunities for deeper engagement and encourage account creation. The goal is to help readers understand how creating an account enhances their reading experience, while providing a natural and low pressure pathway toward registration.

Readers/Reader Experience/Reading lists

• WMF Projects

• WMF Projects 2026q1
• WMF Projects 2026q2
• WMF Projects 2026q3