THE FUTURE OF BROWSERS

10 steps that will improve web surfing experience

Observation by Sergey Leskov @Lesich

What will be with web surfing in the future?

Browsers has existed successfully for 25 years already. Do we really need a special software for Internet surfing today?

Let’s take a look back...

15 years ago Internet used to look like an Universe

Thousands of dispersed small personal pages and a very few web giants. We were exploring the deep web and were finding new places every day by travelling from one site to another

Browser used to be like a starship for us

Now the Internet is becoming a TV

Web is shared among large social networks and content aggregators. Every day we are switching between several content “channels” cyclically.

Browser is becoming a TV-remote

Smartphones are driving trends

Web is becoming more dynamic from day to day. Mobile is making new original solutions which is being adopted by desktop systems.

86% appsAccording to statistics, mobile users spend just 14% time in browser.Actually the Facebook app is more popular, than all mobile browsers

together.

Source: http://goo.gl/idUxNC

Ok, what’s next?

Browser used to be as a USS Enterprise with manual transmission when we were discovering

web through millions of pages.

But how should it look today?

Farewell, URLWhat is common between DOS command interface and an address bar?

Both of them used to be the only way of control.

Right now they are becoming instruments for professionals and are giving space for visual interface gradually.

STEP 1

We will be able to see and correct the URL in the future, but we won't need to enter it every time.

So, search is the new addressNow we don’t need keeping in mind hundreds of URLs because a search engine makes it better.

STEP 2

Browsers have already started redirecting non-URL queries to search engines.

instead of

86% appsBrowsers “Top sites” pages were a

first step forward.

Now we should upgrade start page to

OS-like desktop. Custom icons/

widgets on websites will provide info

about its activity.

And we don't need address bar

anymore.

Source: http://goo.gl/idUxNC

Sites as apps...Mobile platforms are progressing faster than desktops.

So, what if browsers will inherit the best features from mobile OS?

STEP 3

…and web browser as an OSOn every site we run into a new interfaces and patterns, so we have to remember plenty of them.

STEP 4

For example, search feature may be wherever web-designer wants But we always know where it is in operation system

If sites gave many of service features to browsers, users wouldn’t have

to remember where any button is.

So people will concentrate on a content only.

Less interfacesAt this moment screen space on desktops has 3 layers that requires user's attention.

They fill about 1/4 of screen space on some systems and each of them takes away place from a content.

STEP 5

iOS allows us to interact with every app without opening it.

So, why are we still doing this with websites?

Interactive notificationsOr why we still need to open twitter to tweet?

STEP 6

Desktop browser tabs can provide the mobile notifications functionality right now.

Smart tabsTabs made the breakthrough in the browsers functionality.

The time has come to create a small but significant improvement in them.

STEP 7

Once look at mobile tabs we always know what every

page contain.

Desktop browser tabs have to be grouped by resource and show full

page preview on mouseover.

Like is bookmarkBookmarks are history. Literally.

Everything we shared or liked turns into bookmarks, which are sorted by categories automatically.

STEP 8

“Like” button replaces “Add bookmark”.

instead of

Personalized surfingFacebook analyzes our likes to suggest us a relevant content.

Browser may do the same thing with websites.

STEP 9

Like/share history analysis makes browser able to recommend some good web resources for each user.

Direct InternetWith the expansion of SaaS conception there are no more boundaries between applications and web services,

so there are no differences between Microsoft Word and YouTube for the user.

STEP 10

One exists for writing texts, other is for watching funny videos, but why do we need the browser for one of them?

*SaaS - Software as a service

Browsers keep changingThey were the first bridges linking us and Internet.

And probably they will provide the basis for upcoming integration of online and offline.