The Homepage of the Future: Evolution, AI, and the End of Navigation
KNOWLEDGE HUB WEBSITES (LATE 1990S TO EARLY 2000S)
As the internet continued to develop, homepages transformed into sophisticated knowledge hubs, offering more comprehensive content aiming to attract, inform, and engage wider audiences. Knowledge hub websites emerged as central repositories for a wide range of topics. Their primary purpose evolved into aggregating vast amounts of information from various sources into one easily navigable platform, serving as educational and reference resources, encouraging community engagement and user contributions to build collaborative knowledge bases, and facilitating academic and professional research by providing access to diverse resources.
Significant technological advancements drove their development and success. Content management systems (CMS) such as Drupal, WordPress, and Joomla allowed for easy content creation and management (Buytaert, D. 2007). Multimedia integration became common, with images, videos, and animations enhancing user experience. Table-based layouts and frames were used for structuring webpages. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) began to separate design from content, allowing for more flexibility (Bos, B.; Lie, H. W.; Lilley, C.; & Jacobs, I. 1998). Robust databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL enabled efficient storage and retrieval of large volumes of information. Web technologies enabled more interactive and responsive user experiences. Open source software adoption allowed for greater customization and community-driven improvements. SEO became increasingly important, influencing page structure and content. Google’s dominance in search redefined how users interacted with homepages, emphasizing the importance of SEO and optimizing content beyond the homepage itself.
The userbase for knowledge hub websites diversified significantly. Students and educators relied on these platforms for research, assignments, and lesson planning. Professionals and researchers used knowledge hubs for up-to-date research, data, and references. The public gained access to a wealth of information on various topics, empowering individuals to become more informed. Contributors played a unique role, with platforms such as Wikipedia thriving on user-generated content.
SERVICE-ORIENTED HOMEPAGES (EARLY 2010S)
The early 2010s saw a shift toward service-oriented homepages, enhancing user experience and offering direct access to what various services organizations had to offer. This was the period of intensive development and saw the introduction of ecommerce, elearning platforms, and e-payment systems (Chaffey, D. 2015).
Service-oriented homepages were designed to offer easy access to various services and functionalities directly from the homepage, prioritize convenience and real-time engagement, deliver highly personalized experiences to users, and facilitate interactions and transactions without the need to navigate away from the main page.
The technology powering service-oriented websites and corresponding homepages was significantly more advanced. Responsive design ensured optimal viewing across various devices and screen sizes. Advanced JavaScript and PHP enabled dynamic experiences. APIs allowed for seamless integration of various services. Cloud computing technologies supported scalable and reliable service delivery. Big data analytics enabled personalized content and service recommendations.
Mobile-first design approaches became prevalent as smartphone usage surged. The userbase for service-oriented homepages expanded to include mobile users accessing services on-the-go, consumers seeking convenient online shopping experiences, business professionals relying on web-based productivity tools, and individuals looking for personalized content and recommendations.