Repositioning Wikipedia for the AI Era
A strategy sprint to unlock new value in the world’s most trusted knowledge platform.
Setting the Scene:
Wikipedia reaches billions of users—but its model hasn’t changed in decades. In an age of generative AI, we saw an opportunity to reimagine its role: not just as a destination, but as a curiosity engine.
This was a fast-paced strategy sprint. We were asked to analyze a company of our choice and propose a bold, plausible path forward using design and business frameworks. (Fun timing: we presented this the same week ChatGPT launched.)
The Approach:
We treated Wikipedia like a product with untapped growth potential and led a full audit across four tracks:
Market Positioning: Benchmarked Wikipedia against ChatGPT, Reddit, Fandom, and other curiosity tools
Unmet Needs: Identified a gap between shallow search and deep research—users often bounce
Opportunity: What if Wikipedia helped you wander, not just answer?
Concept: A personalized, LLM-powered “curiosity trail” that generates dynamic learning paths from your question
One of our “sacrificial concepts” - a visual used to stimulate discussion and gather feedback.
My Role:
Conducted SWOT and competitive analysis using market adjacency frameworks
Facilitated Post-It synthesis sessions and user journey mapping
Designed interaction concepts that blended UX, storytelling, and generative AI
Helped build our business model canvas and present the strategic bet to faculty
Strategic Bet:
We proposed repositioning Wikipedia as a discovery engine—anchored by an LLM-like experience that creates value not through answers, but through exploration.
By partnering with educators and knowledge institutions, it could open new impact channels without compromising its mission.
Key Takeaways:
This project combined what I love most: starting from human behavior, asking the right questions, and building toward strategy that balances creativity and logic.
It reminded me that design thinking isn’t just about ideas—it’s about alignment: market, mission, and user.
Why It Matters:
In a world where AI answers everything, curiosity becomes the differentiator.
This project showed how even legacy platforms can evolve—if you give people new reasons to stay curious.
