Wikipedia, the iconic free online encyclopedia that has been a staple of internet culture since its inception in 2001, has managed to stay incredibly consistent in terms of design throughout the years. Despite a redesign in 2014 that focused on minor improvements, the website has maintained its reputation for having a utilitarian layout that places content at the forefront. Now, in 2023, Wikipedia is embracing a massive redesign that aims to elevate user experience and collaboration, making the world’s largest knowledge hub even more impactful.
In a recent interview with Alex Hollender, a Senior Product Designer, and Jon Robson, a Software Engineer at the Wikimedia Foundation, the duo shed light on why 2023 was the chosen year for a redesign revolution. Emphasizing that intuition and relationships within the community played a significant role in driving the decision, it was mentioned that data analysis took a backseat in formulating the strategy. A need to shake off the growing concerns around conservativism and ossification within the Wikipedia community also contributed to the timing of this bold move.
One of the main challenges faced by the development team was catering to the vast network of over 300 sites in different languages that make up Wikipedia. The creation of a design system that scales effectively, while maintaining accessibility and inclusivity for a diverse audience, became paramount. The redesign aims to address the unique needs of users from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that knowledge sharing remains a seamless experience for everyone involved.
A collaborative effort between the development team, Wikipedia community members, and users, paved the way for the redesign process. User feedback played a crucial role in identifying areas that needed improvements and new features that would enhance the overall experience. As a result, the redesign includes exciting new additions such as dark mode, collapsible sections, and adjustable font sizes. These features, along with others, are expected to make browsing through the extensive encyclopedia a more enjoyable and personalized experience.
Acknowledging the importance of a smooth and consistent user experience across all platforms and languages, extensive testing was conducted prior to the release. This meticulous approach helped ensure that the redesigned platform would live up to the high expectations of its worldwide users.
The impact of the redesign is expected to be far-reaching. Not only does it aim to improve user engagement and make knowledge sharing even more accessible, but it is also likely to attract new users and contributors to the platform. By creating a more inviting and intuitive browsing experience, Wikipedia is opening its doors to a wider audience and reinforcing its commitment to being the premier global hub for knowledge and learning.
In conclusion, Wikipedia’s 2023 redesign represents a major milestone; it signifies how the platform, driven by intuition, relationships, and global collaboration, is evolving to meet user needs and expectations. By putting accessibility, inclusivity, and collaboration at the forefront of its design process, Wikipedia is taking a bold step towards enhancing its role as a global knowledge hub. New features, extensive testing, and a focus on improved user engagement signal that the world’s largest encyclopedia is gearing up to reshape the way information is shared and consumed in the digital age.
Up until working with Casey, we had only had poor to mediocre experiences outsourcing work to agencies. Casey & the team at CJ&CO are the exception to the rule.
Communication was beyond great, his understanding of our vision was phenomenal, and instead of needing babysitting like the other agencies we worked with, he was not only completely dependable but also gave us sound suggestions on how to get better results, at the risk of us not needing him for the initial job we requested (absolute gem).
This has truly been the first time we worked with someone outside of our business that quickly grasped our vision, and that I could completely forget about and would still deliver above expectations.
I honestly can't wait to work in many more projects together!
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