Making Wikipedia more accessible for Millions of users

TL;DR

Conducted an accessibility evaluation of the Wikipedia Android mobile experience in collaboration with Wikimedia stakeholders, identifying 90 accessibility findings and delivering 28 UX and developer recommendations aligned with WCAG 2.2 guidelines.

The project focused on improving inclusive access for a platform used by 50M+ users globally through usability testing, assistive technology evaluation, and implementation-focused accessibility insights.

ROLE

UX Researcher & Designer

TEAM

4 Designers

TIMELINE

April 2026; 1 Month

What if you opened the web one day and couldn’t read a single word?

Felt annoying right?

For many users with disabilities, this is a part of how they experience the web every day.

THE PROBLEM

Wikimedia Foundation wanted to better understand how

users with disabilities experience the Wikipedia Android app and identify opportunities to make the platform more accessible and inclusive.

THE SOLUTION

We Audited Wikipedia's Android app

Accessibility issues identified

UX & Dev Recommendations

WCAG Guidelines Tested

UNDERSTANDING OUR USERS

Wikipedia’s audience is everyone, which means the experience should be accessible to everyone

To better understand diverse accessibility needs, we created user personas grounded in research across visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities.

THE EVALUATION

We stepped into Martha and Ryan’s everyday experience

by navigating the app using the assistive technologies and accessibility settings they depend on.

SEVERITY OF ISSUES

We prioritized our findings into 3 tiers based on severity

Findings were prioritized based on how severely they impacted a user’s ability to independently navigate, understand, and complete tasks within the app.

DIVING INTO THE FINDINGS

Now let's take a look at some of the most critical issues

ISSUE 1

TalkBack struggled to communicate the interface

Important navigation cues, labels, and contextual information were inconsistently announced, making it difficult for TalkBack users to understand and navigate the experience independently.

DEV RECOMMENDATIONS

How can we improve this?

Add accessibility labels

Define semantic roles

Improve Talkback feedback

Preserve Navigation Heirarchy

ISSUE 2

The map experience excluded Non-touch users

Core map interactions relied entirely on gestures, making navigation difficult for users relying on Voice Access, Talkback, or keyboard navigation.

DEV RECOMMENDATIONS

How can we improve this?

Add accessible zoom controls

Expose pins as focusable elements

Enable full keyboard navigation

Check out all the detailed findings here

OUTCOME

We didn’t realize how many accessibility barriers existed for users relying on external keyboards. That’s something we would definitely want to prioritize moving forward.

~ Wikimedia's Design Team