Welcome home, online
When I first started making web-based experiences in 2000, good experiences looked like little virtual worlds like Habbo Hotel; you had a place to go, treasure hunts and rewards, and a home for community members to congregate.
Then, for a while, all anybody wanted was things that looked like cold, minimal rental properties; Web 2.0 chic, all-white Apple circa-2012.
Thankfully, what was old is new again. Some sites, though still rare, are being designed to be a place to return to once again, where fun is encouraged, and discovery is rewarded.
We sold our ‘homes’ for ‘cool’…
But one community at a time, we’ll see new online homes built.
Welcome home.