Wikipedia meets TikTok

Wikipedia x TikTok speculative design concepts

In collaboration with the Future Audiences team at the Wikimedia Foundation, I explored how Wikipedia could live in spaces far beyond the article view. The challenge: How might we reach new audiences on platforms they already use — like TikTok?

I designed four speculative design concepts that imagine Wikipedia as part of the short video creation and consumption experience. These ideas were shared with TikTok Partnerships, the Product lead for TikTok Search, and AR designer Eddy Adams. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

“I wasn’t actually sure how we were going to make Wikipedia into an exciting effect (or two), but these ideas really have some potential! Honestly, they’re much better than most ideas that come across my desk.”
— Eddy Adams, Industry leading AR Designer

1. Wikipedia Stickers & Widgets

Enhancing short videos with context and credibility

This concept embeds Wikipedia into the TikTok creation flow. A new Wikipedia button brings up a contextual action sheet, letting creators add stickers, nearby locations, or article widgets — powered by Commons and Wikipedia. Viewers can tap to open in-app article previews and suggest micro-descriptions. Verified posts surface higher in search and carry a Wikipedia badge to boost trust.

It lead to very positive reactions from TikTok:

“I just talked to the Product lead of TikTok Search, and she said the demo of Wikipedia stickers on TikTok that you made was one of the best product demos she’s ever seen! There were some boring organizational reasons why she couldn’t invest in it, but she was very excited to keep talking about new ways to surface knowledge content like this on TikTok!”
— Maryana Pinchuk, Principal Product Manager at Wikimedia Foundation

2. Chase the Article

Wikipedia meets AR geo-play

This idea turns Wikipedia into a location-based experience. With the “Wikipedia Places” effect, creators are prompted to “chase” the nearest article — like Zürich Airport station — guided by an animated assistant. As they approach, real-world context merges with the knowledge layer. Once reached, a link to the article is added to the post. Viewers can tap to read more — and even donate.

3. Wikipedia Randomizer

A playful way to surface unexpected knowledge

This concept invites creators to react to a random Wikipedia article on the spot. They’re prompted to describe or explain what they see — before revealing the actual article content. It’s a lighthearted way to spark curiosity and highlight the surprising breadth of knowledge on Wikipedia. Curated lists, such as those from Depths of Wikipedia, could add a thematic layer to the randomness.

4. Wikipedia Speedrun

How fast can you get from sloth to Joe Biden?

Based on the classic Wikipedia game, this effect gives you a start and end article. Your task: reach the destination using as few clicks (and as little time) as possible — all while recording. The challenge sparks curiosity and surprise, and each run ends with tappable links to learn more. It’s speedrunning, but for knowledge.

What’s next?

These speculative design concepts explore how Wikipedia could be part of the world of short videos — not just as a source, but as something people interact with, remix, and trust.

They’re early ideas, but they’ve sparked meaningful conversations with TikTok and opened the door to new ways of reaching future audiences.