Wikipedia desktop gets a new look for the first time in over a decade — here’s what’s new

• Wikipedia desktop receives a new look after 10+ years.
• 300+ languages, a collapsible sidebar, and a language-switching tool are major highlights of the new update.
• Here's a quick look at the major improvements.

The world’s most popular encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has received a major facelift for the first time in 10 years. The Wikimedia Foundation, an organization behind Wikipedia, said the new look improves the website’s usability for both contributors and readers. Wikipedia’s all-new desktop UI overhaul came close to its 22nd anniversary.

According to Wikipedia, the new design will meet the needs of the next generation of internet users. Also, making it easier for everyone to find reliable and trustworthy information. Wikipedia also says the changes are a part of efforts to improve mobile and desktop users’ overall reading and editing experience.

Revamped interface and design

The desktop version of Wikipedia has received a major revamp of the UI after a decade, which changes how readers and editors interact with the website. The revamped design and interface are intended to aid users in easily accessing Wikipedia’s treasure of information.

The major upgrade of Wikipedia’s desktop interface includes a new table of content, a language-switching tool, new line width, and font size controls, a collapsible sidebar, and more. Further, the website includes an improved search experience, which leverages documents and images. Wikipedia claims the new interface and design have led to a 30 percent increase in user searchers while testing.

The organization further notes that the changes are made in collaboration with more than 30 volunteer groups worldwide, including Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Argentina.

In development to this, the Chief Product and Technology officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, Selena Deckelmann, said, “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.”

Here’s what is new to the desktop version of Wikipedia

• New and improved search experience that uses images and descriptions to find articles.
• New and effective language-switching tool to allow multilingual readers to access articles in their local language.
• Users can choose from 300+ languages.
• The updated sticky header now includes tools such as page name, search, and sections that move with logged-in users as they scroll.
• Easy navigation across the page to enhance the reading experience.

In recent years, Wikipedia has made similar changes to its mobile website to improve readability and offer a better experience to contributing users.

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