So is the web dead or what?
I recently read the Wired Magazine article The Web is Dead by Chris Anderson, and the counter post ‘New Twitter’ shows the Web isn’t dead by Pete Cashmore. In Anderson’s article he argues that people are trending away from the web and into whatever devices will give them what they want the fastest and easiest. Cashmore counters by saying that Twitter has seen the light and is striving to provide the best web and mobile experiences it can to survive.
The truth is, the web isn’t dead, it’s just well defined. Anderson is right that what will ultimately drive people’s spending habits is ease of use and reliability. People will always choose the easiest most reliable route no matter what the device. What Anderson is alluding to is that all kinds of devices in all shapes and sizes are now cheap and easily accessible to consumers. In other words, consumers now have an incredible amount of choices. And their behavior says they could care less if they are using a browser, TV, tablet or phone as long as they get what they want in the fastest and easiest way possible.
Another way to look at it is that the web has it’s own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, just like TVs, phones and every other little niche device out there. Each of these tools is easy and more reliable for certain tasks than the other devices. For example, I’d never want to check movie times on a computer if I can do it on my phone. But I’d also never want to type an article on a phone or a tablet when a keyboard and mouse are so much more efficient.
Anderson and Cashmore are really both right and both seeming to miss the conclusion. Anderson is right that people just want the easiest and most reliable interface. And Cashmore is right that websites are in fact realizing they need to be easier to use and more reliable. But what I really learned from these two articles is that it is now clearer to us what the web is good for and what it is not good for. And as a designer designing digital products that sell, I now have to take into account the absolute best delivery device, as well as the best UI, for the product I’m trying to create.
