When Starting a Wiki, Don’t Forget Design

Wikis started out as the simplest thing that could possibly work. With that goal, making wikis visually pleasing wasn’t an afterthought - it was deliberately ignored. Now that wikis have entered the mainstream and are being used for a broad range of purposes, its time to step back and remember why design is important. If you want people to stay (and come back) after finding your wiki for the first time, you need to consider your site’s design beyond the generic one provided by the wiki software you’re using.

How Important is Design for Your Project?

The importance of design for your project depends on how you’re using the wiki. If you’re using a wiki for a small team of already-committed individuals for collaboration, enticing your users to the site with design probably isn’t important. But just because your site isn’t intended for the general public does not mean design doesn’t matter. If you’re launching a company wiki intended for a large internal audience, design can make a big difference in the impression potential collaborators get when first visiting the site. And if you’re trying to lure in the general public to a wiki, design can make or break your site’s chances of success.

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