Oct 31st 09 Posted by Randy in Site Owners, Web Design, Web Developement

Web Design 2020 A.D.

The WebSite of the future is already here. WebSites are like clothes. Consumers and web designers need to realize that. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get my clothes from a tailor. Tailor made clothes are for rich people. I buy my clothes off the rack. I don’t have a problem with that, either. It’s easy, I have a choice of prices, they’re easy to maintain (I can’t iron to save my life and I don’t have to) and they look great.

In theory, I do have another option, though. I can make my own clothes. I remember, when I was about 10 my mom got herself a sewing machine. She had a great time with it. She made herself all kinds of clothes. Well, dresses and skirts, mostly. And, they looked great! But, mom was an exceptional woman. Sewing clothes was fun for her. Along with raising a family, she also went to the public library and got 5 sci-fi books every week. She used to read them while she was knitting or doing needle point. As I said, mom was exceptional. I’m not. In fact, much like ironing, I just can’t sew. Once, while sewing a patch on the knee of my jeans, I sewed the leg together. My arm was in it, so I don’t know how I did that. But, I did. I’m great with a scissors (the secret is to rest it on a flat surface as you cut, so your hand is stable) but my stitches always bring Frankenstein to mind. So, in theory, I could make my own clothes. But, they’d look horrible.

Today, custom websites are expensive. Whether it’s a particular look that’s needed or special functionality doesn’t matter. Custom websites are pricey. Don’t expect that to change, either. In the year 2020, custom websites will only be for the very wealthy (read businesses) and there will be fewer of them. Let me re-phrase that. Custom websites will be a lower percentage of the total websites in 2020 than they are today. Why do I think that? Because, by then, people will understand that “off the rack” is just fine. Today, if you say the word “template” web designers and consumers who imagine themselves to be clever and in-the-know (like tire kickers at a car dealership) turn their noses up. The fact is, everything is made up of parts and I haven’t seen a particularly remarkable web page design in, well, ever. I have seen some wonderful interface elements, to be sure. But, page layout is just that. Layout.

One of the most popular platforms today is WordPress. You’re looking at an example of it, now. It’s an application that stores information, such as this text, in a database and displays it in a template. The Home page is one template. This article page is another template. You can apply themes, which change the look of all the templates on the site. People love WordPress, even though it is essentially a template, albeit one on steroids.

Another thing people like is Flash websites. You don’t see a lot of them in the wild today. However, you do see a lot of Flash advertisements. Why? Because people like animation. They like seein’ stuff move. When I show clients sample websites, they always like the Flash sites the best. The fact they’re tougher to update than an HTML or CMS based site is why people steer clear of them. But, in the last couple years, a new option has emerged: XML Flash WebSites. These let you control the modules and content of the Flash site through XML. There are programs (scripts) available that let you update the XML files in a web browser, so no need for FTP. MyFlashXML.com is a company that sells some very amazing XML Flash templates. Part of why they’re so interesting and unique is the use of a relatively new technology, PaperVision3D (See an example or their blog.) I think we are going to see a lot of this kind of stuff in the future. It may not be full websites but widgets that find their way into WordPress’ descendants.

In 2020, much of the work web designers do will be modifying and setting up these templates. Do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists will have better options available to them, but unless they are exceptional people, they will still have a very hard time making a professional looking website, because the bar will have been raised.