The web today is a universe of web pages and web apps interlinked, teemed with photos, videos and interactive content. Web technologies have evolved to give web developers the ability to create a new world of immersive experiences on the web. Today, extensive web technologies like CSS3, HTML5 and WebGL are used extensively.
From the first websites in the early 1990s, web designers have been experimenting with the looks of websites. The early websites had minimal images and no layout to speak of, excluding the headings and paragraphs. However, with the evolution of web designing, table-based designing evolved, then flash and finally CSS based designs evolved.
Storytelling and visceral websites.
The web is undergoing a transformational shift in the way information is delivered, consumed and created. New technology platforms create innovative human-computer interactions to make more useful, usable and desirable things. These innovative creations necessitate changes in the way we are thinking about the designs and the user experiences.
Responsive design, mobile proliferation and improved browser capabilities are the three trends that are converging on a single endpoint that is the application of the web. Websites can be designed to deliver optimal experiences across the devices based on the size of the screen and context. Applications that can deliver app-like experiences can be created that users will love to use on their mobile, while at the same time delivering useful, desirable and usable experiences on the desktop.
Long scrolling pages which are full of rich and story-driven experiences of the user are captivating and create values for everyone involved. The storylines create a journey to objectives that users care about. A story-driven, visceral experience can create real value for the teams that get it right. By bringing a more intuitive way of approach to our design, and being more thoughtful about the micro-interactions to deliver a more satisfying experience, a massive value can be created for our teams and the users.
The explosion of internet access points
The contents on the web are now consumed on more screens and in more resolutions and sizes than ever before. Now the designers need to think about the delivery of the usable content and the desirable experiences to the user through various access points. Video game consoles, handheld devices, smartwatches, fuel bands, Google glasses, and more are creating new demands for designers. Now it is more important that the content has to be designed in such a way that it can be accessed through any kind of interface.
Interface Design implications
The content manipulation methods and associated experiences are expanding and diversifying. Hence, the potential need for interface design is becoming more and more incredible. The web will be accessed in future in more complex and diverse ways. Leap Motion and Kinect gesture control interfaces, SIRI and Pebble watch are some of the latest access points that designers need to think through and understand beyond the swipes and clicks to create the users, the experiences that can exceed the traditional point and click paradigms of what is used today.
The transformational change
The web is undergoing a transformational change very fast. Screens are now the most dominant form of interaction with the contents. New devices and platforms are changing the way we reach the web. Designs (which is story-driven), visceral interactions, and pageless architecture have to be tailored for various devices, as the web continues to evolve. It is very much essential to develop new standards and breakthrough thinking to equip ourselves with the fast-changing web world.
