An Argument For Apps Over HTML5

Posted: June 17th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Thinking Out Loud, Web/Tech | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments »

Tell me: what do the http:// and www written in my browser address bar actually do? For years I’ve learned to type them in without understanding why or what they do. Now browsers are getting smart and I don’t actually need to type them in any more – but even when I don’t type them, my browser will automatically insert them.

Doesn’t it seem a little bit weird to you that we still need to use that syntax? Websites are becoming so advanced – they’re becoming experiences. And yet we are still shown some of that information which I believe should really be hidden from the user. In fact, it’s not just the http:// and www which I think needs to be removed. It’s the entire address bar.

This relates to the whole app vs. website debate. Some people think that in the future we will browse websites through app-style mechanisms, while others feel that the browser will live and we will continue to browse websites in the same way, albeit with better technology like HTML5. My bets are definitely on the prior of those two. And the address bar is one fundamental reason.

I believe that everything that goes on behind a website (ie. whatever isn’t displayed or isn’t useful to the user) should simply not be shown. Now, a massive address bar that runs the whole length of your browser window is just silly. It doesn’t help you, and in fact it just detracts from what I feel should be the experience of a website.

That is part of why I believe the future of websites is apps. It’s because apps don’t do or show anything that the user doesn’t need to see. They’re entirely user-oriented, and I believe the same can’t be said for websites in their form today.

The whole “apps vs HTML5″ argument needs to take this into account. If HTML5 is just shoved into existing browsers that do things that the user doesn’t need to see, then I don’t think HTML5 will win because it doesn’t offer the same experience to the user.

I think the future is looking bright for apps, and this is just one reason why.

  • Quentin Todd

    One of the reasons I like Rockmelt for a browser is that its a close to browsing by icon. For example the news feeds on the right side and Facebook on the left. I agree with you: the address bar is quite annoying – miss a dot or forward slash and you get a “Doh!” on screen. Another thing. I wonder if Googling will be the address bar? For example type Micheal Moore-Jones and wah laaa!

  • CLint

    Interenet Explorer, Firefox etc… all have Full Screen Browsing. Press F11 and you will see your UX is no long covered with stuff you don’t need.
    And yes, with many browsers, simply typing a query into your address bar will GOOGLE it rather than be inputted as a URL. :-)

  • Bernhard

    In fact I love the address bar and use it a lot to navigate. This is due to the fact that many websites are incredibly poor in terms of design when it comes to navigation – sometimes I just lose the overview or don’t want to randomly click through hundreds of links and layers of navigation. Then I simply take a look into the address bar (which provides me with the information of how the website is structured and where I am right now) and navigate by entering the content I want to see. This works with existing content or often as well by random guessing (which many times takes me to parts of the page I wouldn’t have found without the address bar – for example download sections or hidden archives if you type e.g. mmoorejones.com/download and there _would be_ a download section on your page). The second way which I use fairly more often is if I want for example to view all your articles from may 2010 I need not scroll down your page past your description, the subscription box and the popular posts box in order to get to the archives: I just select all the address code after the slash in your TLD and type in “2010/05/” and hit enter. Whoop, there I am.

    As well I don’t really like the fact that by hiding stuff that according to you a user need not see developers take away my opportunity to reflect upon and understand the structure behind a website which to some extent reflects the way of thinking of its developer. So, in other words: you don’t let me put myself in your shoes and thus be able to follow your thoughts more easily.Apps might be a well-integrated and easy-to-use solution for less technically skilled people but in order for more advanced users to embrace this kind of browsing there’s still some work to do and some time to spend on considerations concerning the structure of and way of navigating through websites.

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    I know, I know. But my point still remains that apps provide a cleaner method of navigation that only shows exactly what the user needs to see at any one time.

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    That’s true – but I personally didn’t like Rockmelt because all of the social boxes on the sides reduced the usable screen estate too much!

  • Quentin Todd

    Fair enough. I find my email client left side on the Opera browser totally intruding. Think the visual space for the websites should be better without the sides intruding.