Since the launch of the first website in 1991, the look and functionality of websites have changed dramatically. They’ve evolved from long, text-focused pages with links into interactive, aesthetically beautiful, and functional creations. It’s easy to forget that when we stream movies, shop, or take advantage of casino bonuses from casinos.com online, the technology is light years ahead of the bulky and awkward websites of the 1990s.
Of course, this process didn’t happen overnight. It involved progressive changes and updates to creating and sharing websites, leading to today’s user-focused website designs.
Text-Based Websites
Websites designed during the early 1990s followed a simple, one-column layout, usually filled with text using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML coding allowed for the text to have variances, such as headings, subheadings, and links, but websites were typically a wall of text nonetheless. However, it didn’t take long for HTML codes to incorporate images, although these were usually small with low resolutions. There were limited options for adding colour to differentiate sections or information. Even the fonts available were limited, with only a handful available. The most widely available fonts included Arial, Courier New, and Times New Roman.
Table-Based Websites
As website designs began to be used for different purposes, HTML tables allowed content to be more organized. Designers could now create multi-column layouts to show two or more content sections on a single page. The ability to do this made websites more dynamic for users and designers. Table templates became very involved and intricate, offering hundreds of cells to work with.
The capabilities of HTML tables not only changed the look and functionality of websites but also introduced the idea of “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) web design, which made it possible for those who didn’t know how to code to successfully build a functional and aesthetically pleasing website.
JavaScript- and Flash-Based Websites
Website designs began to come to life with vibrant colors and animations in the mid-1990s, thanks to the development of JavaScript and Adobe Flash. In 1995, JavaScript, originally called Mocha, was created. The influential software FutureSplash Animator, now known as Adobe Flash, was developed a year later. Each of these is built off the capabilities of HTML to deliver more content-rich and engaging website experiences. Designers and developers could use the scripting language and program to create and integrate animations, graphics, and interactive components into their websites. This development can be linked to the trend of flashing graphics that permeated websites like GeoCities in the early 2000s. As JavaScript and Flash evolved (as did users’ internet speeds), they also allowed for the introduction of audio and video on websites.
The more complex and interactive website designs also came with the now commonplace idea of website navigation features, such as menus and site maps.
CSS-Based Websites
Alongside the animated, flashing graphics that were taking over website designs in the early 2000s, CSS, which stands for Cascading Style Sheets, designs became commonplace as well. CSS separates the design and content of a website, allowing for design overhauls without rearranging or re-entering content each time a new design format is needed. CSS allowed for cleaner web designs, though it was initially met with internet bandwidth issues, resulting in slower loading times.
Mobile-Friendly Websites
Looking at the first few generations of mobile phones makes it laughable to think that we’d ever use a mobile device to browse the web more than other devices, yet this is precisely where we wound up. In the late 2000s and into the 2010s, new mobile device releases, like the iPhone, changed our online habits by making it far easier to access and browse websites on them than previous mobile options.
Unsurprisingly, as this browsing method became more popular, web design began responding to it by being optimized for mobile use. Now, mobile-friendly websites have become the norm and an important factor in how Google ranks and displays websites in its search results.
The popularization of mobile internet browsing has also led to the proliferation and widespread use of mobile apps and games, many of which are developed from the same coding languages and development tools that deliver websites.
User-Focused Websites
As website designs became more intricate and capable, the focus for website designers has shifted from getting content out on the web for the sake of being online to creating websites that consider how users interact with them. This started with responsive design that adjusts to use on different devices and has grown to encompass aesthetic, data-driven, and accessible websites.
The capabilities of JavaScript, Adobe Flash, and the addition of other programming languages and development software allow websites to look streamlined and representative of the brand or person they represent and to appeal to their audience. Website designers now have countless fonts and colors to work with, and they can rely on images that will look crisp and beautiful across devices while delivering a fast-loading and responsive web page.
Alongside the ability to create unique-looking websites, the design decisions behind their function and appearance have become data-driven. Instead of just putting content out there, website designers look to information collected about website users through tracking visitor behavior, research, or a combination of resources. The data is used to make informed decisions about how a website should operate to achieve the desired result, such as the visitor adding a product to their cart or signing up to join a mailing list.
Website accessibility has also become an essential feature of website design. It allows websites to be used easily by people of all abilities, creating a more inclusive online environment.
As businesses and individuals increasingly rely on websites to earn revenue or income, the user-centric focus is unlikely to fade, even as new technological advancements are made.
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