The evolution of web interfaces is a story of continuous changes, both technical and psychological. From the early ’90s interfaces, the drive has always been toward richer experiences. Today, in the CSS “golden era” we have incredibly powerful tools to create seamless experiences. Yet, this very drive for innovation often clashes with an unexpected obstacle: user resistance to change. This essay explores that paradox.
It was the ’90s, and we all remember those interfaces: many ideas, few conventions, and screens resembling TV sets. CSS was the great protagonist of the graphical revolution—a tool as verbose as it was powerful, but still obscure to many. Then smartphones arrived, and performance became the watchword for developers—or at least for those who understood its importance.
CSS libraries followed, and it quickly became clear: aesthetics and design systems play a crucial role in making a product feel “professional” and authoritative.
Despite this significant evolution, JavaScript remains the primary means for many to manage interactions in search of the wow effect—often disregarding the main goal: performance.
Since 2023, I’ve been following an extraordinary trio in the Chrome DevTools world:
- The Ambassador – Una Kravets
- The Genius – Bramus
- The Rockstar – Adam Argyle
Thanks to them, I dove even deeper into the sea of creative possibilities achievable with just a few lines of CSS.
In 2024, an important era for web UI began—what Una calls the “golden era”—and indeed it is just that: New in Web UI – I/O 2024. I studied, experimented, shipped—and it was professionally very rewarding!
Yet, this enthusiasm for interfaces consistently hits a wall: the rubber wall of the average user. Every innovation, no matter how elegant or performant, must overcome the hurdle of habit.
For every UX or UI novelty, I’ve often had to handle the usual “yeah, but…”:
- Dark mode – “Is it really necessary?”
- CSS Grid – “Those gaps look kind of ugly”
- Scroll Snap – “Wouldn’t it be better to scroll with buttons?”
- Position Sticky – “It gives me a headache”
- Scroll-driven animation – “It’s beautiful, but it doesn’t work on my iPhone”
These observations, though sometimes demoralizing, are a treasure. They teach us that innovation is not a developer’s monologue but a dialogue with the user.
Our job isn’t just to implement a new feature but to guide the user, introducing novelties gradually and functionally.
True avant-garde isn’t about using a technology just because it exists, but making it so intuitive that it feels like the most natural thing in the world.
Only when innovation becomes invisible can we say we have truly designed well.
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