June 10, 2010 at 13:17Wikipedia takes on a new look
In May, a change in the interface of the English Wikipedia was already reported on Habré . Similar changes have just appeared in Russian Wikipedia, as well as in eight other language sections.
As you can see, a new design option has actually appeared - "Vector", which will now be used by default.
The logo has been changed ( more in English ). Above is old, below is new:
The navigation bar has been changed, and the search bar has been moved to an intuitively more convenient upper right corner:
The article editing panel has also been improved. This is how it looks now:
It has become easier to embed links without knowing the wiki markup:
Similarly, it became easier to insert tables:
For those who want to start using wikis on their own, there are built-in tips:
Registered users who want to return to the old design option can click the “Return as it was” link at the top of the page or go to the settings page and select the “MonoBook” design instead of “Vector” on the “Appearance” tab. On average, over 80% of users who tested the beta version continued to use it.
A few words about how the changes were introduced. In January 2009, a small group was created to evaluate and improve the convenience of Wikipedia users and related projects. The first study took place in March 2009. Based on its results, a number of improvements were introduced that became available for public testing starting in August 2009. This was followed by further corrections based on user feedback, culminating in October 2009 with a second study that confirmed the need for some changes and allowed for further improvements. Already in early April 2010, the interface was changed for all Wikimedia Commons users, and on May 13 - for users of the English Wikipedia.
As you can see, a new design option has actually appeared - "Vector", which will now be used by default.
The logo has been changed ( more in English ). Above is old, below is new:
The navigation bar has been changed, and the search bar has been moved to an intuitively more convenient upper right corner:
The article editing panel has also been improved. This is how it looks now:
It has become easier to embed links without knowing the wiki markup:
Similarly, it became easier to insert tables:
For those who want to start using wikis on their own, there are built-in tips:
Registered users who want to return to the old design option can click the “Return as it was” link at the top of the page or go to the settings page and select the “MonoBook” design instead of “Vector” on the “Appearance” tab. On average, over 80% of users who tested the beta version continued to use it.
A few words about how the changes were introduced. In January 2009, a small group was created to evaluate and improve the convenience of Wikipedia users and related projects. The first study took place in March 2009. Based on its results, a number of improvements were introduced that became available for public testing starting in August 2009. This was followed by further corrections based on user feedback, culminating in October 2009 with a second study that confirmed the need for some changes and allowed for further improvements. Already in early April 2010, the interface was changed for all Wikimedia Commons users, and on May 13 - for users of the English Wikipedia.