Alive Design or Static Design: Its Role in Mobile Websites

As the role of mobile websites can no longer be disputed thanks to the importance placed upon them by Google, it is interesting to look briefly at something that is being termed ‘alive design’ as it could very well be something that is going to take over.

The term is actually pretty self-explanatory, which makes life so much easier, as it is all about designing websites that appear to be alive, constant, fresh, and best of all that it is tailored to your own individual needs or wants.

This does sound pretty impressive, as well as difficult to imagine, but it is certainly an approach that is being used by more people. Think of how you interact with the likes of Twitter or Facebook on your phone. That in its own right is a prime example of alive design as everything is constantly changing. You see updates, you can interact, and every single time you look at the website it really is new as something different is right there before you.

Clearly, this is the complete opposite to the static design. With that, you know exactly what to expect from the moment you land there, and even if you go back a week or so later, you still see the same picture and text as you did the last time.

However, that’s not to say that we are saying static design is a bad thing. Indeed, it is certainly the best option for the majority of websites, even those that have caught onto this entire mobile website thing.

It Has Been Around Longer Than You Know.

Here is some news for you. This concept of alive design has been around for longer than you are perhaps aware. Indeed, it is only relatively new that it is being applied to traditional websites because previously it was apps that were the real home of this approach.

The alive design market is huge. Even on the Apple app store, there are estimates that over 2 million apps actually use this approach. You can be sure that the same number, or roughly similar numbers, will also appear on the Google Play store.

Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is something that works well for mobile apps, but not for websites, but you would be wrong. Oh, you would be so wrong.

Even websites for businesses that operate in a certain locality or industry can benefit from considering this type of design. The freshness that it brings can inspire people into buying from a company website as they feel that there is a more personal touch to it all. Considering the amount of competition out there, anything that can increase the chances of a completed sale or even contact being initiated is certainly worth exploring.

But what kind of things can you do with your own website that at least adds a sense of this active design to it? Well, there are several points that could work.

Of course, one of the main ways would be to have aspects of your social media appearing on your website. These can be updated automatically and it gives a sense of something changing. This is the primary way of achieving this feel, but then if you sell a number of products, you can have regular updates showing the most popular items, new reviews, or anything else that is happening in that moment.

Mentioning the concept of ‘in that moment’ is more important than you think. Indeed, it is central to the entire ethos of alive design. You are present as something is changing on that website. You are present and aware of business happening, or interactions happening as you sit there looking at the site. It feels as if it is on the move, which is what you are probably doing when you on your phone and checking out the Internet.

So, how do you know if your website is even suitable for this approach?

Well, there are a number of things to take into consideration, but the only way in which you will ever know for sure is to go ahead and seek some professional advice. As we mentioned earlier, there are a number of instances where a static design is indeed the best way to proceed. Not every website actually has to have things changing constantly to get its message across, and not everybody expects that.

Do not allow yourself to be put under pressure to have your website looking a certain way if it is not actually required. Yes, active designs work, but they can also be overused and at that point they are negating all of the advantages that they have. Avoid falling into the trap of believing you need it. You will often find that this is not actually the case.