Is The Traditional Website Due For An Overhaul?
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??? In Today’s Dive:
Hello fellow divers,
Been feeling AWESOME the past few weeks. Very energized to work, write, and build stuff.
For some reason, this usually happens when I eat well, work out, and avoid alcohol. Crazy right? Who would have thought.
Anyways, lots to chat about this week. Let’s dive in.??
??This Week’s Dive???
Is The Traditional Website Due For An Overhaul?
Technology has been changing rapidly in the past few years, and something that is always top of mind for me is how this new technology will affect the modern marketing website. While I don’t believe that websites are going anywhere, I do expect a change in their functionality in the coming years with the introduction of new technologies like AI and augmented reality.
The "traditional website" is the majority of the marketing websites developed today. They typically deliver static content that does not change based on user interaction or personalization. They are often static first with dynamic elements integrated into it second.
What’s The Problem?
I have a suspicion that the traditional website has a shelf life. After all, when was the last time we saw real innovation in how these sites function? I sometimes feel like we are stuck in loop of doing what works rather than breaking some rules.
With technology making developing websites easier, I imagine it’ll become harder and harder to stand out. Leaving brands with a strong need to innovate to stand out and impress customers even more than they do now.
Common traffic sources for websites are also in a transitional phase. Considering SGE?(Search Generative Experience) coming soon to Google, ChatGPT enabled search with Bing, lack of paid advertising growth, social media burnout, and broader privacy improvements across browsers and devices.
I can only see a future where there will be a strong need for innovation in how brands present themselves online and?there will be a competitive advantage in making an experience that is creative, dynamic, and augmented.
Augmented Reality
With the announcement of the Vision Pro (Apple’s augmented reality headset), it marks a potential shift where we start merging the digital and the virtual world.
It’s pretty interesting to envision the potential of what a website experience could evolve into if these technologies are widely adopted.
This spatial technology potentially adds another entire dimension for us to work with. Giving us the opportunity to expand what we do with 3D objects and experiences within our websites.
Dynamic Interfaces Powered By AI
In recent newsletter posts by David Hoang called Dynamic Interfaces (Part 1 ?&?Part 2 ), he details a potential new type of interface that can personalize and design itself based on feedback or input from the user. The backend could be a database paired with an AI model.
This really stands out to me as something that has the potential to become the new standard of websites and applications.
Imagine a highly personalized experience for each user. Giving brands the opportunity to speak to each user directly and cater to their needs, and continue to go deeper and deeper as tech evolves. Rather than forcing them to click through multiple pages to get the answers they want.
Contra ?is a great example of how this can work with our current tech, displaying two different experiences for their two core personas.
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Final Thoughts - Questioning The Standard
Is the traditional website the best way to attract and retain customers?
I have a suspicion it might not be fairly soon. The majority of websites at the moment feel quite transactional to me. The brands that put extra effort here shine through already, this could go ever further.
How will human engagement in the brand and customer relationship change?
Brands are focusing on creating communities more and more because it’s a great way to keep people engaged. Maybe community based interactions can move from external platforms and be an integral part of your website experience.
Are we structuring websites this way just because everyone else does it??
While current website structures might be comfortable for the average user, we might be missing a new standard that could emerge from further experimentation.
Do people come back to your website often??
“Why would a customer come back?” is certainly something that should cross your mind when developing a website. Why not give them more reasons to come back by making something more engaging and personalized.
Is it a fun experience browsing the web?
Websites can be quite bland in nature, why not work towards making the web more fun. I don’t think they need to be as transactional as they currently are.
Can we bring more emotion to the web?
Maybe I’m just getting old and spending too much time looking at websites, but I don’t often feel any emotion when looking at most websites. There might be a future where we can facilitate that, helping build deeper connections with brands and each other.
Lots to think about here and tons of my personal opinions are included. So I’d love to hear your thoughts and disagreements. Can do so by adding a comment below.????
I hope this was valuable for you, stay safe and don’t forget to hydrate. ???
- Keith
P.S. Special shout out to? David Hoang ?at?Proof Of Concept ?for the inspiration on this post. He’s a real one! You should go subscribe to his newsletter immediately.
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Thats all for today folks! Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Building Third-Party Apps and Integrations @ Lunch Pail Labs
1 年Really interesting takes! i'm super excited to see how sites and interfaces evolve in the next few years and which tools will help us easily design those experiences.