What would these iconic previous web sites appear to be right this moment? By Joseph Foley printed 16 March 23 Internet Design UI design has come a great distance.

7 months ago 3 min read

Internet design has come a great distance for the reason that begin of the century. Fortunately, for the nice of our eyes, layouts have turn out to be much less cluttered, graphics have improved, and naturally, technological advances imply that websites load rather a lot sooner. However some legendary web sites did not make it to see these adjustments. They had been misplaced alongside the way in which, leaving us to solely think about what they could appear to be right this moment.

One mission is doing simply that, taking a look at websites of the previous, from LimeWire to Ask Jeeves and giving them a contemporary aesthetic. The facelifts of 4 iconic websites present how internet design has advanced for the reason that days of dial-up, and likewise how sure norms have been established in UI design (see our decide of the very best UI design instruments should you’re seeking to broaden your personal toolkit).

LimeWire

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The unique LimeWire. Click on proper to see the makeover (Picture credit score: Fasthosts )

The internet hosting website Fasthosts (opens in new tab) started the mission as a tribute to cultural icons that “performed a helpful position in our lives in some unspecified time in the future, and whose names trigger a wave of nostalgia and fond reminiscences to scrub over us.” It is revamped 4 websites of the previous, and first up is Limewire.

A free peer-to-peer file-sharing consumer that capitalised on the demise of Napster, Limewire was mainly only a obtain display. That leaves a variety of room for enchancment to create a fuller consumer expertise. The proposed facelift introduces a darker background to assist the brilliant album covers pop in opposition to the model inexperienced and a extra minimalist UI to make looking simpler. This appears like one thing that goals to offer Spotify a run for its cash.

Bebo

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Revamped versions of websites from the past — The bebo platform went bankrupt in 2013… (Picture credit score: Fasthosts )

Bebo was one of many first of a brand new technology of ‘micro-blogging’ social media websites. It allow you to put up to all of your followers directly and see updates in a single feed view. It went bankrupt in 2013 and an try and revive the location in 2021 failed to realize success.

The makeover above retains the location’s recognisable darkish look however makes issues sleeker and an entire lot extra Twitter-like. The search bar performance remains to be there, however filters are added to permit customisation of the feed. Aspect capabilities like ‘video games’ and ‘luvs’ have been dropped to a extra mature product.

Myspace

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Now, strictly talking Myspace isn’t lifeless. The location nonetheless exists, and it appears very completely different to what it did again within the day, foregrounding music information content material. Fasthosts has targeted on the unique group ethos, foregrounding new connections and hashtags to observe group discussions.

It’d look extra like LinkedIn than a music-oriented social media platform, nevertheless it’s definitely sleeker than Myspace’s authentic design. It additionally provides a store, reflecting the truth that social media websites want to extend monetisation (suppose Twitter Blue), however we’re undecided what precisely this store would promote.

Ask Jeeves

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The search engine Ask Jeeves was the epitome of 90s internet design, throwing the whole lot it had on the web page. The 2023 revamp sees it stripped again to a Google-like minimalism, bettering its usability. “Customers need one thing minimalist, clear, and easy-to-use,” Fasthosts notes. The stripped-back strategy extends to the emblem, which reduces Jeeves to only a bowtie and a portion of a swimsuit. We now have a fond nostalgia for the unique Ask Jeeves website, however I ponder if a cleaner strategy may need helped it survive the battle of the major search engines.

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