User:AxelBoldt/Wikipedia usability problems

This is a list of usability problems I have come across in Wikipedia. Notwithstanding this fairly long list of negative remarks: creating a comprehensive coherent multilingual multimedia encyclopedia is an amazingly complex undertaking, and the fact that our current interface empowered tens of thousands of untrained and uncoordinated volunteers to do just that shows that the usability of the Wikipedia website, overall, is outstanding.

Generally, I think Wikipedia suffers from a plethora of links and features on every page, overwhelming and intimidating to the new user, and I will usually argue to remove from the default interface those features that lack a clear rationale for casual readers, our main audience. Features that are mainly useful for editors should be user preference options. All the below comments are about the default skin, MonoBook, from the viewpoint of an anonymous user.

Please feel free to leave comments. AxelBoldt (talk) 20:42, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

While trying to avoid too much redundancy, I've put together my own list of usability problems. I encourage other users to do the same. –M^T 04:12, 29 December 2008 (UTC)