Making the Most of Web Standards

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Have you noticed that when EA Games releases a new title they often simultaneously release the game for every gaming platform from PS3 to Nintendo DS.? There are HUGE differences in the capabilities of those devices and yet they adapt the games to suit each one. They change the visual design and game play while maintaining the game's core experiences, themes and branding. They focus on giving each customer the best experience for their chosen gaming device.

Yeah sure, this is definitely a rosy impression I've got and the reality maybe somewhat different; on some devices the game might really suck despite the publishers best intentions. Regardless, I can't help applying this idea to the web industry and, in the light of this example, doesn't the expectation that browsers all conform to ensure your design looks identical everywhere, seem a little, well, conceited?

So after seeing all these EA Games ads on the tele, I try to imagine how they can release a title on so many different devices. I'd assume they have a lot of core libraries so they can define game logic separately from the device, and then have ready made game runtime engines that can take the game logic and apply it to each device. Maybe they have some system where they can define a game level for 3D on Playstation but then it can also generate the 2D top-down version for the Nintendo DS.

I know that cross-browser compatibility through standards is the current best practice and proprietary features are often shunned, but there's a legacy at work there. In the bad old days, combating the dreaded Internet-Explorer-only web site involved demonstrating how one could build a web site using standards so it would work identically across browsers. Maybe it's time to drop that legacy. We have far more choice these days: a great bunch of feature laden browsers.

There are many reasons for people to use a specific browser. Sometimes they choose the browser, sometimes the browser is chosen for them but either way I know that if I use a specific browser I want to get as much out of the web as that browser can provide. I certainly don't want web site designs to be dumbed down in order to be consistent across browsers. I don't care if another browser can't do something, I want my experience to be the best I can get.

Ironically I suspect that usage of standards in web design provides a nice base level for design and experience and the perfect platform for specific browser customisations. Perhaps there's a way that we can customize websites for each browser, in order to deliver the best experience possible, while preserving accessibility and avoiding making it a pain in the arse.

Random outings from a chaotic mind