Wikipedia is getting a new look • Hacker News Board

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#61

Post by notatoad » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:15 PM UTC

jrochkind1 wrote: post #36

The detail page for the first feature they mention, limiting line-width [1], makes me think: Wow, it sure takes a lot of analysis and discussion to make what is a pretty straightforward and simple change. (Recall, too, this has been in the works for at least a year? And still isn't deployed to English wikipedia?) Which makes me realize there's sort of an ironic situation. When a site is beginning and small, you don't…

seems like the usual workaround to this paradox is to start a new "alternative" ui and allow the original site to stagnate. wikipedia did this with their mobile site - on a desktop-sized browser, it's a vastly superior reading experience to the regular wikipedia, and was implemented with virtually no controversy or fuss because anybody who was going to get angry about changes just continued to use the main desktop site.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#62

Post by WilTimSon » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:15 PM UTC

Uehreka wrote: post #19

If someone asked me to critique the UX of Wikipedia, the first two things I’d point out would be that I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does) and that when paragraphs are that wide they become harder to read (especially when they snake around floated images). Not changing for 10 years, watching as some trends fade and others become law-of-the-land, and then making two changes…

I think the only times I use it is to go to random articles, which can be quite fun if you're in the mood to discover new things. However,I couldn't tell you a single other function they have on that side bar even with a gun to my head. Just went to check it and apparently they let you print pages out as PDF, news to me. Wikipedia really doesn't advertise its features much.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#63

Post by davidivadavid » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:15 PM UTC

Uehreka wrote: post #19

If someone asked me to critique the UX of Wikipedia, the first two things I’d point out would be that I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does) and that when paragraphs are that wide they become harder to read (especially when they snake around floated images). Not changing for 10 years, watching as some trends fade and others become law-of-the-land, and then making two changes…

Reducing maximum column width would also be my #1 suggestion.

Maybe that can be taken care of through themeing/browser plugins? If anyone has good ones to recommend, suggestions appreciated.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#64

Post by BelleOfTheBall » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:16 PM UTC

Fingers crossed it won't be as awful as WTSocial. That place looks outdated by about 10 or 15 years and it was literally made last year. I actually much prefer Wikipedia's current design over that, if I had to compare the two.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#65

Post by segfaultbuserr » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:17 PM UTC

Uehreka wrote: post #19

If someone asked me to critique the UX of Wikipedia, the first two things I’d point out would be that I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does) and that when paragraphs are that wide they become harder to read (especially when they snake around floated images). Not changing for 10 years, watching as some trends fade and others become law-of-the-land, and then making two changes…

> I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does)

Editors do. The sidebar contains tools useful for maintenance works. Just to name a few, I use "What links here" to check links and redirections, "Wikidata item" to update metadata - these two are the most used features by editors: after contributing a new article, you need to add/fix some inbound links, and to link it to editions in different languages. Also, there's "Page information" to see statistics, and checking "recent changes" for spams and vandalism is a hobby for some people who need to kill time.

The current website works for me, I hope Wikipedia will keep it as an option.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#66

Post by TedDoesntTalk » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:17 PM UTC

SusAnnie wrote: post #52

While there might be a lot of current users who feel like “if it’s not broke why fit it?”, there are a lot of whys it can be improved (some previous commenters have already linked some great research to how line length improves readability). As someone who is very dyslexic, I can say that Wikipedia is incredibly difficult to read, navigate and use effectively as a resource. It is not organized in a way that is easy t…

I am sorry to hear this. A child of mine is severely dyslexic, and I think about these things all the time on their behalf.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#67

Post by timw4mail » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:17 PM UTC

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #54

Is it going to be a single-page app with React, Angular, or similar?

I sure hope not!

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#68

Post by thibran » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:18 PM UTC

Uehreka wrote: post #19

If someone asked me to critique the UX of Wikipedia, the first two things I’d point out would be that I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does) and that when paragraphs are that wide they become harder to read (especially when they snake around floated images). Not changing for 10 years, watching as some trends fade and others become law-of-the-land, and then making two changes…

> I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does)

If you speak different languages, the left hand bar is very useful to switch between different language versions of an article.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#69

Post by upgrejd » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:19 PM UTC

Uehreka wrote: post #19

If someone asked me to critique the UX of Wikipedia, the first two things I’d point out would be that I almost never use the left hand side bar (and I have a feel almost no one does) and that when paragraphs are that wide they become harder to read (especially when they snake around floated images). Not changing for 10 years, watching as some trends fade and others become law-of-the-land, and then making two changes…

I use the left hand side bar, I like to read the articles in different languages.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#70

Post by rikroots » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 5:20 PM UTC

lloydatkinson wrote: post #3

A collapsible side bar and max width are hardly big features you need a whole post for.

I disagree. Until I read the post I wasn't aware that Wikipedia are about to embark on changing their desktop UI. As someone who uses Wikipedia as much for reading pleasure as for looking up stuff, and who has just been through the discomfort of having to deal with Facebook's - unannounced! - desktop redesign, I appreciate being told in advance that things are gonna change, especially when the post comes with a link an (animated!) outline roadmap of the changes they'll be introducing over the next couple of years.