Rich User Experiences, Article Critique Example

In the article “Rich User Experiences,” author and web entrepreneur Tim O’Reilly takes a brief overview of the early days of web-browsing, how we have used the internet so far, and what is in store for the future.

The “rich user experience” in the title describes what O’Reilly sees as the emerging changes in how we use the internet, and what kind of experience we have when doing so. What began as the viewing of static web pages has grown into a more immersive, interactive experience. O’Reilly points to Google’s Writely, a web-based, interactive word processor with the features of a software application, as an example of the early stages of what Web 2.0 can do, and credits AJAX –an overlapping combination of technologies (AJAX Tutorial, 2010)- with making these changes possible.

In the article “What Is Web 2.0 Anyway?” Alexandra Krasne defined the then-newly-minted “Web 2.0” as “the moniker for an emerging set of internet-based tools and an emerging philosophy on how to use them.” (2005). Some have predicted that Web 2.0 will bring about the death of the browser (Stewart 2007), but O’Reilly sees the standardization around Explorer as the reason Web 2.0 developers have been able to focus their efforts on one platform.

Taking a broadly optimistic view, O’Reilly sees Web 2.0 as a trickle-down approach that will change the way we use all of our digital devices, tying them together in previously unseen ways. He closes with the advice that developers recognize the possibilities inherent in Web 2.0, encouraging them to get in the competitive arena sooner rather than later. O’Reilly’s optimism is infectious, and he paints a compelling picture of a future that’s almost here.

Works Cited

Stewart, Ryan. “User Experience, Rich Internet Applications, and the Future of Software.” ZDNet 9 February 2007: n. pag. Web. 5 Jun 2010. <http://www.zdnet.com/blog/stewart/user-experience-rich-internet-applications-and-the-future-of-software/256>.

“AJAX Tutorial.” W3Schools.com. Refsnes Data, 2010. Web. 5 Jun 2010. <http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/default.asp>.

“What Is Web 2.0 Anyway?.” techsoup.com. CompuMentor, 2005. Web. 5 Jun 2010. <http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/archives