My Outreachy internship at the Wikimedia Foundation has been an invaluable learning experience that has significantly expanded my professional skills. I've made meaningful contributions through two primary areas of work:
Research and Analysis:
- Completed two comprehensive literature reviews focusing on accessibility interventions for visual, motor, and non-visual impairments
- Conducted an innovative competitive analysis that transcended traditional feature comparisons
Competitive Analysis Breakthrough:
I worked with an analytical framework that examines products through multiple dimensions, including:
- Audience targeting
- Platform presence
- Usage metrics
- Design elements
- Messaging strategies
- Task workflows
- Strategic decision-making
A key insight emerged from this analysis: understanding the nuanced difference between customization and personalization in UX design.
Project Timeline Management:
While initially confident about my project timeline, I encountered challenges during week six when auditing configuration settings across 15 languages. Through open communication with my mentor Carolyn, we collaboratively adjusted the project timeline to ensure thorough and quality work. Justin, who is also my bonus mentor has helped me by answering questions and sending me links to articles that I may find helpful in the process of doing my work.
I look forward to continued progress in the second half of my internship.