Expectations

I noticed something interesting recently about how I browse the web.

It used to be that I would notice if a site were responsive. Or, before responsive web design was a thing, I would notice if a site was built with a fluid layout. It was worthy of remark, because it was exceptional���the default was fixed-width layouts.

But now, that has flipped completely around. Now I notice if a site isn���t responsive. It feels ���broken. It���s like coming across an embedded map that isn���t a slippy map. My expectations have reversed.

That���s kind of amazing. If you had told me ten years ago that liquid layouts and media queries would become standard practice on the web, I would���ve found it very hard to believe. I spent the first decade of this century ranting in the wilderness about how the web was a flexible medium, but I felt like the laughable guy on the street corner with an apocalyptic sandwich board. Well, who���s laughing now���

Anyway, I think it���s worth stepping back every now and then and taking stock of how far we���ve come. Mind you, in terms of web performance, the trend has unfortunately been in the wrong direction���big, bloated websites have become the norm. We need to change that.

Now, maybe it���s because I���ve been somewhat obsessed with service workers lately, but I���ve started to notice my expectations around offline behaviour changing recently too. It���s not that I���m surprised when I can���t revisit an article without an internet connection, but I do feel disappointed���like an opportunity has been missed.

I really notice it when I come across little self-contained browser-based games like

Constellations,
Cub���n’Pup, and
Battleship Solitaire.

Those games are great! I particularly love Battleship Solitaire���it has a zen-like addictive quality to it. If I load it up in a browser tab, I can then safely go offline because the whole game is delivered in the initial download. But if I try to navigate to the game while I���m offline, I���m out of luck. That���s a shame. This snack-sized casual games feel like the perfect use-case for working offline (or, even if there is an internet connection, they could still be speedily served up from a cache).

I know that my expectations about offline behaviour aren���t shared by most people. The idea of visiting a site even when there���s no internet connection doesn���t feel normal ���yet.

But perhaps that expectation will change. It���s happened before.

(And if you want to be ready when those expectations change, I���ve written a Going Offline for you.)