Mozilla Wants to Know Your Vision of the future of Web

August 6, 2008 | browsers, concepts, firefox, future, Internet, mozilla, Softwares

mozilla labs

The world of Internet is constantly changing every minute, and the tools that we use currently can not stand up to our requirements in the future. Which means this is the right time to make some drastic changes in the way we interact with the web and prepare ourselves for the future.

Mozilla labs has put forward a call to anyone in the world to share their vision of how they would like to see the browser or the web in general in the future. Called The Concept Series, the project will track down and share future web concepts submitted through a very simple process. What would you like the web to look like in the future?

UI is very Important

For any application the User Interface is of the utmost importance. A poorly designed software however powerful it is, will turn out to be unusable. With today’s standards, there is so much of untapped potential in User Interface design.

Interface is not all about being pretty and good to look at. Case in point is the iPhone Software design. While the iPhone uses dell and subtle colors in its designs and hardly is good to look at, but is tremendous ease of use and fast response is what sets it apart from the others. I wouldn’t put the HTC touch in the same category as the iPhone even though it has a very pretty interface.

First Round of Concepts

As you would expect, Mozilla began the Concept series on a high note. Three concepts have been submitted so far. All of the three videos are produced by Mozilla, but that shouldn’t stop you from submitting your own concepts, including mockups, prototypes or ideas expressed in any way you feel is best. If you want to submit your own concept follow the instructions in the Concept Series announcement or just tag an image "mozconcept" on Flickr.

Here are the first round of concepts :

Aurora Concept Video

Aurora is a concept video presenting one possible future user experience for the Web, created by Adaptive Path as part of the Mozilla Labs concept browser series. Aurora explores new ways people could interact with the Web in the future based on projected technological trends and real-world scenarios. Here is the concept from Adaptive Path

Bookmarking and History Concept Video

An investigation into a better way of visualizing and interacting with bookmarks, your history, and the browser in general. Here is the concept from Wei Zhou

Firefox Mobile Concept Video

Firefox is coming to mobile. The innovation, usability, and extensibility that has propelled Firefox to 200 million users is set to do the same for Firefox in a mobile setting. Here is the concept from Aza Raskin

What Would You Like to See ?

Those were some really interesting concepts right? I am making something complex in my mind as I write this, meanwhile what are your thoughts on this initiative? What do you want to see in the Browser of tomorrow?

Feel free to link to your own mockups or ideas in the comments.

Tags: browsers, concepts, firefox, future, Internet, mozilla, Softwares

Patrick G Stanfill

My vision of the future is sitting back in my office chair and motioning my head to control my browser.

Lean left goes back to the previous page. Nodding twice answers the dialogs highlighted choice. Etc.

I want the focus of the page to follow my eyes as they scan the page.

Naturally, I want voice recognition available for email, ordering online or completing surveys like this one.

Bob Robinson

Having watched the OS grow from CP/M and before and the internet from teletype to today the future still excites me. I'm sorry Kenneth Fleisher fails to see the benefits, only the areas that could, if not managed properly, cause a violation of his privacy. I have a very visual memory so my physical office environment tends to be untidy because I remember where things are by what is near (until my wife 'tidies up'). All three of the concepts above would work for me. The mobile concept does not have to be restricted to mobile but would work on the desktop. We do however also have to conceptualize the same environment for those who are verbally, literally or numerically orientated. The balance of customizing should alway allow for the range of users. Alternatively different tools for the different types of user. For instance a journalist or secretary usually hates using a mouse, it just slows them down, they remember lots of short cuts and create many macros. Many casual users like using the mouse and would probably take well to touch screens that are more visually orientated because they have less to remember and will tend to interact with visual clues.
The future of the UI has several elements to evolve; control by the user, confidence of the user, including security confidence, presentation flexibility, that is how to change the visuals depending on the task in hand, search an grouping of results with historical actions and information.
The other concept to get to grips with is the separation of data and applications. I like all my data to be local and under my control, not on someone else's storage facility perhaps in another country where I have no control over who can see it; while I have no problem if the application is running from some server in China, USA or UK where I live as long as the data can only be viewed under UK law that I have some say in (little though that may be) because it is where I choose to live. I think that the current move towards 'Cloud Computing' is flawed and and relying on the same abdication of responsibility by CEO's as outsourcing of IT in general, brought about by a lack of understanding.

Scott Gramling

In business this will prove to be of great value. Even more so with the increase in travel costs. Personal use would be of good value as well. As many of us have friends many miles away. Bandwidth looks like it will be a problem for those of us who do not have Cable available in our areas. Looking forward to BETA!

Kenneth H,. Fleischer

What I saw in the "Aurora" video looks like a confusing, excessively busy interface, one directed to the extremely visually-oriented person and nearly useless to a verbally-oriented person. If that were presented as an alternative to what I now get with Firefox 2.0.0.16 or with Internet Explorer 6.0, I'd run from it back to what I now have, and do so with relief. I'm also glad that I do not have a microphone or Webcam connected to my computer. Privacy is important to me. What you presented seems to require a violation of that sanctity. For my future, what I want most is utter reliability. Skip the bells, whistles, and falderal, and don't waste my bandwidth.

Codmister

I like the tactile feature of the browser of tomorrow. I like to mess with things, to move objects around on a screen. I smile when I see ripple effects on the Mac's dashboard when I add a widget for example, or when I mess with effects in Ubuntu via Compiz Fusion.

Having an aesthetically pleasing browser that attempts to keep your information organized such as a file or folder, while giving the user something tactile to move around, that integrates with your surroundings, is an awesome idea. I like the idea of using your hands to use computers, not your mind.

IanG

I don`t want to see the browser of tomorrow,because it is not going to be anything special.I want to see the browser of five or ten years time, when there is no GUI,mouse or keyboard,wow man think outside the box!

One day we will assimilate with the web,in our mind.

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