Web-Browsers and Web-Apps

While web-apps are being used more and more, one thing remains constant: most users first launch a web-browser, navigate to the app via a bookmark or by typing the app’s address in the browser, then they start working. In other words, using a web-app begins with surfing the web, which is an extra step, and a potentially very distracting one.

The distraction doesn’t stop once the app is showing in the browser. A web browser typically displays a menu bar at the top, and the standard web toolbar with Forward and Back buttons, Reload button, an address bar and a host of other things.

Web browsers were designed to… browse the web, not to serve as a platform for applications that happen to be delivered from the net. As a result, most of the buttons and menu items don’t make a lot of sense when using a web-app. For example, what is the meaning of a “back” button within the context of a web app? This is the subject of much debate, but the simple answer is that it doesn’t mean anything. If it disappeared it would be to the benefit of web-app user and designers alike.

All other buttons are directly related to surfing the net (”browsing”), not using a web-app. The address bar is useful for knowing where you are when navigating between different pages, or as a way to get somewhere quickly by typing in an address. But web-apps are not address-driven, they are action-driven and this makes the address bar far less useful in that context.

The point is that although the web is a wonderful platform for delivering applications, the web-browser is an awkward program for using an application.

Mozilla Prism: The Non-Browser

With all the useless stuff cluttering a browser when a web-app is being used, surely somebody would think of creating a more minimal browser that does away with all navigation-related amenities. That’s exactly what Mozilla Labs has done with Prism, and in its first incarnation Prism can be described simply as a Firefox browser devoid of all menus and toolbars. However there is more.

When you set up Prism to be used with a web-app, you can select an icon that represents the app and place it on your desktop, or in your Windows start menu. Clicking on the icon launches Prism with that web-app. As a result, the web-app user launches the web-based application as if it were a desktop application.

In addition to these benefits, running an app in Prism is likely to be more secure since it runs separately from your web browser, and the app feels faster since the memory footprint is smaller.

What’s Next?

The team developing Prism is exploring future directions for their experiment, and they are looking for feedback from all who might have an opinion on the matter.

So if you have an interest in the future of Web2.0 in healthcare, you may consider visiting the Prism forum and making a suggestion.