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Wikipedia is getting a new look

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Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#91

Post by SusAnnie »

zozbot234 wrote: post #83
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…

You can already select a more dyslexic-friendly font for Wikipedia articles. In the side-bar, click the gear icon in the "Languages" sub-header. Select "Display" settings in the resulting box, then the "Fonts" tab and check the "Download fonts as needed" option. This will reveal a further option to switch the font for main content in your current language. Select OpenDyslexic in the drop-down box, then Apply Settings…

Thank you so much for sharing that, I’ll check it out! :)

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#92

Post by psychometry »

systemvoltage wrote: post #74
m0ck wrote: post #43

Just in case someone here is not aware of Wikiwand: https://www.wikiwand.com/ I use it for 2 years now and it works just right.

I disagree, this is worse in every way. Too much white space. Literally every website today needs to reduce the padding and margins by 80% and they could present the same data in dense, single page without scrolling. Also large fonts need to die. I love HN because I can see so much in one shot, can always increase fonts with Ctrl +

You can't really exceed a a certain number of characters per line without sacrificing readability and you can't restrict the line length without padding the container, so I'm not really sure what you think the goal of typography should be. It's certainly not to reduce scrolling; there is no "fold" on the web.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#93

Post by zozbot234 »

intrepidhero wrote: post #75
WilTimSon wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Ooh! I recently discovered the "Print to PDF" feature too. I used it to print out some pages for offline reading when I took the kiddos on an adventure outside cell network range. It worked really well.

It's actually an obsolescent feature. With modern browsers, you can just use the native "Print page" feature and the content will be styled in a paper-friendly way.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#94

Post by marssaxman »

jvzr wrote: post #32
Thaxll wrote: post #6

I don't know why they did that, now we have empty space on the left and right, it's really useless, why is it better than using the full screen? "Our second change introduces a maximum line width to our content on pages where reading is the focus, such as article pages and discussion pages. Research has shown that limiting the width can lead to better retention of the content itself, as well as a decrease in eye stra…

You haven't used a ultra widescreen monitor then. Reading Wikipedia (until today) on such screen was pretty hard, with sometimes a full paragraph on a single, long line. This change is much better. As for the sidebar (which you don't talk about, I realize) it's very useful for non-English speakers: it's easy to switch from the local page to the English one, and I've used it quite a lot. For switching to other languag…

That is easy to solve - just don't fullscreen your browser window. Set it to a reasonable width and the content will follow.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#95

Post by bakuninsbart »

thibran wrote: post #68
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.

I use that quite a lot, because google periodically just refuses to acknowledge that I usually want my links in English despite living in Germany. English quality is often times a bit better, but it is also useful to check in multiple languages, as sometimes you get different information, especially on more controversial topics.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#96

Post by segfaultbuserr »

Aerroon wrote: post #25
kome wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use it very often, just because i check articles in multiple languages.

I use it for the same thing. This allows me to learn what specific word is used for [obscure thing] in a different language. Eg computer hardware related words for my native language.

Yes! I found Wikipedia article names are fairly reliable as a translation reference, especially for technical terminology. In my language, translations of technical terms in Wikipedia article names are often more accurate than the vast majority of random blog posts and articles on the web, and occasionally even better than some technical dictionaries, which may use old-fashioned or outdated terms.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#97

Post by psychometry »

inetknght wrote: post #23
psychometry wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Readability is exactly why sites need to enforce a maximum chars/line. Don't ask your users to constantly resize their window just to read your content.

I got a big screen specifically so that I can have multiple windows on my screen. Having a site decide to be in charge of sizing instead of allowing me to choose is user-hostile.

You're always in charge of your browser width and zoom. With the use of relative ems, a designer can accomplish a sane line length for any combination of settings.

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#99

Post by Macha »

Animats wrote: post #7

These are the first of many changes in a long and complex process. They're raising too much money and hiring too many unnecessary people.

I was just rereading WP:CANCER again after the latest donation banner took a full screen scroll and asked me for an email when I pressed what I assumed was the dismiss nag button: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Guy_Macon/Wikipedia_has...

Re: Wikipedia is getting a new look

#100

Post by davidivadavid »

systemvoltage wrote: post #74
m0ck wrote: post #43

Just in case someone here is not aware of Wikiwand: https://www.wikiwand.com/ I use it for 2 years now and it works just right.

I disagree, this is worse in every way. Too much white space. Literally every website today needs to reduce the padding and margins by 80% and they could present the same data in dense, single page without scrolling. Also large fonts need to die. I love HN because I can see so much in one shot, can always increase fonts with Ctrl +

Yes, because reading walls of text is such a great experience.

You "can always" remove all the styling and get what you want.

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