Introduction
Why do most websites look similar today, even in experience? We often associate web design with creativity and innovation, but for users, innovation is not always a good thing. This article aims to guide readers through the history of web development and derive the conclusion that “boring user interfaces are good user experiences.” The focus is on the web perspective, but this viewpoint can also extend to other fields.
From Novelty to Everyday Life
Early Days: Novel and Cool Things
In the early days of the web, everything was still quite rough and novel. People were still familiarizing themselves with how this medium could present information. Wild visuals and skeuomorphic images aimed to capture users’ attention, and web designers always tried to make their sites look different from others. What impressed me about early websites:
- Marquee text was a must-have: Because it looked super cool, let’s include it in web standards!
- Flying .gif animations: Because animations were just too eye-catching on the web!
- Carefully crafted skeuomorphic interfaces: Each website experience was unique, guiding users to learn and experience the web.
During this period, the web was still a new and exciting medium. Surfing the internet and exploring different sites could be a fun experience, as most people were still experiencing and experimenting with how the web could integrate into their daily lives.
Now: Our Everyday Life
Now it’s 2024, and most people have become used to the web, shifting their focus to digital life. Compared to continuously exploring the possibilities of web interfaces, we focus more on using them to solve everyday problems. Things need to be simple, fast, and intuitive, and the rise of minimalistic and flat design trends reflects the vast demand sparked at this time.
We no longer need web designers to attract attention with vibrant colors or dynamic images; we just need simple, intuitive designs to solve users’ everyday problems, while seriously considering the needs of diverse user groups, including: users with different device sizes and browsers, users of different ages and physical abilities, users from different cultures and languages, etc. Given a series of considerations such as performance, scalability, accessibility, and user habits, similar interfaces are inevitable.
Conclusion
The reason why websites look similar is that “the web field has gradually reached a consensus on good user experience and is committed to translating this consensus into standards.” Today’s websites pay more attention to inclusivity for different groups than ever before, leading to a trend toward uniformity in web design styles, allowing different users to enjoy the most basic web functions.
We can evaluate past designs from different perspectives, but it is important to understand their context first. To sum up the web in one sentence: “Feeling that today’s design styles are boring” is not very meaningful. Suitable experiences have always changed with the times, and there is a reason why users believe that aesthetic products are usable products.
However, aesthetics are subjective, and this is a topic that will never end.
Further Reading
- Good UX = Boring UI. Don’t Be Creative -
- Hick’s Law - Laws of UX
- Design Principles for Reducing Cognitive Load - Laws of UX
- Jakob’s Law - Laws of UX