This article was released on January 29, 2023, and re-released on Thursday, February 27th 2024 with no additional changes.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (THE WORLD TELEGRAM NEWS) – Wikipedia debuted a refreshed desktop user interface on January 15th, in celebration of it’s 22nd Anniversary. The new design places emphasis on “usability” to quote, “meet the needs of this next generation of internet users” and make it easier for everyone, regardless of their familiarity with the internet.
The Wikimedia Foundation initially announced the redesign in 2020 ahead of Wikipedia’s 20th anniversary, however the implementation was delayed. It is unclear as to exactly why.
The Wikimedia Foundation re-announced the redesign in a press release, where they announced some of the changes rolling out across the website.
Among the changes is a now collapsible sidebar, that places the table of contents at the forefront of articles. The new look also introduces a larger search bar, and the introduction of preview images when users search.
Redesign Demo. (Olga Vasileva/Wikimedia Foundation)
In a statement, Selena Deckelmann the Chief Product and Technology Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation said:
“The Wikipedia desktop update is one of the major improvements the Wikimedia Foundation is making to help people easily access the world’s knowledge, in support of our mission to make sure every person on the planet has free and equitable access to knowledge, regardless of where they live or where they are from,”
“The changes make it easier for people to find and learn from the work of our incredible volunteers. These features were created with feedback from readers and volunteers from all over the world, aiming to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse audience, while keeping the simple and straightforward feel that millions of people have come to trust over the last 22 years.”— Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation.
Users who don’t like this new look can revert to Wikipedia’s old look by signing into their account, accessing their user preferences, clicking appearance, and changing the toggle from “Vector (2022)” to “Vector legacy (2010)”.
