@KStoller-WMF New editors have many different underlying needs - reiterating here of course that we are seeking solutions to help those who are determined to create an article as their first edit(s). This is why it would be helpful to obtain the kind of stats I listed, to which could possibly be added the kinds of new articles that get deleted most. I do realise however, that such stats might pose a technical challenge.
Probably the need most often encountered would be "I've created an article on Wikipedia!" which might reflect the motivation of the more younger users, while many users want to write a seriously missing article or biography but who understandably do not have the patience to wade through over 300 policies and guidelines when brusquely told to go off and do so. Then there are users who after several years of editing persistently create articles in good faith but which do not follow even the minimum guidelines for inclusion; they remain incommunicado and immune to all messages and offers of help. I came across a classic example only today.
As a first step therefore, possibly asking the more prolific New Page Reviewers to state their experience with new editor types and single out some examples. It would help to focus the design of new on-boarding systems which should nevertheless be simple but explicit and help good faith users from wasting their time and that of the reviewers at NPP and AfC.
I have never come across such new editors to whom the mastery of Wiki markup presents a challenge, but statistically, it might also be a worthwhile exercise to establish the ratio of new articles created by new users using Visual Editor to those edited in normal markup.
In https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Growth_Team_features#Article_creation_hypothesisexcellent ideas are are being thrashed out by some of the highly experienced reviewers, and many salient points have been highlighted, so I don't want to join the discussion there by just repeating all the good elements of the discussion.
I think Trisek (Benoît) will soon be in a position to consolidate those ideas before the page becomes an overspill into many tangential suggestions that would make a decision more complex. Areas to focus on are the registration page (and what happens immediately afterwards), and a truly interactive Article Wizard that encourages users to comply with guidelines and continue, while discouraging those who can't (or won't) and bringing their creation to a rapid close.@Trizek (WMF)