I presented For a Future-Friendly Web, which covered how we as web creators can think and act in a more future-friendly way. Here are the slides, video and notes from my talk:

• The web is now a lot bigger than what we’ve been used to. There’s more web-enabled devices than ever: from smartphones, dumbphones, e-readers, tablets, netbooks, notebooks, desktops, smart TVs, game consoles and a whole lot more.
• All of these devices are just the beginning. There’s a whole host of connected devices right around the corner. Disruptions like Google’s Project Glass will continue to redefine our connected world.
• Because change is so rapid, it would be foolish to say that we can create anything that’s really “future proof”. But just because we can’t predict the future doesn’t mean that there aren’t things we can do to be better-prepared for whatever comes down the pipes.
• The power of the web is its ubiquity. No native platform or proprietary solution can claim the same level of reach as the web. This ubiquity is becoming increasingly important as more and more devices emerge. The web’s intrinsic inclusiveness is something that should be preserved and embraced.
• First and foremost we need to create relavent, purposeful content. There’s more stuff than ever demanding our attention, and we as humans only have the capacity to handle so much.
• People’s capacity for bullshit is rapidly diminishing. If you don’t focus your products and services, your users will do it for you. Tools like Instapaper, Readability, Safari Reader, Ad Block Plus, DVR, Bittorrent, and more allow users to get to the content without the crap that typically goes with it.
• As Josh Clark eloquently put it, we need to think of our content like water, and get our content ready to go anywhere because it’s going to go everywhere. It’s bigger than the web, native, Facebook, etc. We need to put our content and functionality in front of users wherever they may be.
• Rethink context. Historically we’ve created assumptions that users are comfortably seated in front of a desktop or laptop with a strong connection, large screen and fast processor. Mobile has shattered those assumptions and now context is a lot more fuzzy. We need to think about the quantitative (screen size, processing power, input methods, etc) and qualitative (user goals, environment, capabilities, etc) aspects of context when designing experiences
• Invest in content infrastructure. Too often redesigns are like slapping a new coat of paint on an otherwise-condemned building. Content is the foundation with which everything else stands. That means creating context-agnostic APIs and more robust, flexible content management systems that lend themselves to adaptation.
• Think more responsively. Responsive web design isn’t about creating squishy websites, it’s to create a more optimal experience across an increasing number of contexts. Unfortunately, many people, both proponents and opponents, miss the point.
• Users don’t care if your site is responsive, a separate mobile site, or even a plain old desktop site. They do care if they can’t accomplish their goals, if the experience takes 30 seconds to load, or if interactions are buggy and broken.
• Mobile is more than just a small screen. We should take mobile’s constraints and opportunities in mind when designing experiences.
• Progressive enhancement is becoming increasingly important. Lay a solid semantic foundation, writing mobile-first styles and using feature detection are good techniques to support more web-enabled devices while still optimizing for the best.
• Entirely separate experiences aren’t scalable in the long run, but building a separate mobile site might be reality. This can be a great opportunity to lay a future-friendly foundation. Don’t wait for the “perfect opportunity” to start taking steps in the right direction.
• This is going to be difficult, but it’s absolutely necessary. It will require all of us working together like never before, so let’s set aside petty differences and realize that we’re all on the same team trying to figure all this out. Let’s keep learning from each other.

I’m truly honored to have been part of such an amazing conference. I saw a lot of old friends and met a lot of new ones too. I’m already excited for next year’s Mobilism!

I recently had the great opportunity to talk mobile web, future-friendly, qr codes and more with Christopher Schmitt (@teleject), Dave MacFarland (@davemcfarland), and Chris Enns (@ichris) on the Non-Breaking Space Podcast. I had a lot of fun so I hope you don’t hate it.

• Brad Frost on Non-Breaking Space Podcast
• The podcast on SSKTN
• MP3 download
• Subscribe to the Non-Breaking Space Podcast on iTunes or RSS

In Reset the Web, Stephanie Rieger (@stephanierieger) explains how mobile is just a glimpse into the very early stages of an entirely new digital ecosystem system.

• The web is less than 8,000 days old.
• What is the web actually for? Man as a tool maker has the ability to amplify our inherent ability. The computer amplifies memory, problem-solving, calculation, projection, analysis
• The Internet amplifies knowledge. The true potential of the Internet was revealed only when it became ubiquitously available.
• A smartphone is not a smartphone, it’s a device to simplify curiosity. It’s always connected to an open platform accessible by anyone with a browser
• “Hold on, Let me look that up. I just happen to have to sum of human knowledge in my pocket.” “The magic is in the palm of my hands”
• The internet is what brings these devices to life. Without connectivity, these devices could only perform a limited number of tasks.
• Technological revolutions require a level of plumbing. The web requires cables and connections, and so invention, implementation and market adoption influence what’s possible. It takes a long time to evolve the necessary plumbing to drive innovation.
• Internet “plumbing” is the scaffold on top of which we innovate.
• Emerging economies are skipping the traditional computing model (desktops, fixed lines and infrastructure) and are instead jumping straight to mobile infrastructure.

Contexts will be varied and unpredictable.

• Current products are still deeply rooted in the past, but new diverse platforms and interactions will emerge. Small, large, mobile, immobile, and everything in between.
• Contexts may be diverse, but they still ‘fit’ our mental model of the web

In the future, everything will be connected.

• Cotton Candy computer: plug a smart computer into any dumb computer Many unknown unknowns.
• Google’s Project Glass and other speech-and-voice interfaces show us how not every connected device will rely on a screen.
• Old “thing” + connectivity + software + UI = New smart “thing”
• It now costs next to nothing to make something smart or connected. Emerging chips don’t require a traditional power supply, meaning they can be embedded in anything.

“Just in time” will replace “Just in case”

• Right now, we have to go to the web , but in the future the web will come to us. In the future, things will tell us information rather than us having to seek out information about the thing.
• “We don’t want the app. We want what the app does. We could care less if we have the app, we just want the functionality.”
• In the future, our devices load applications opportunistically that are accessed seamlessly.
• No new technology fully replaces the old, it simply augments it.
• The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable

Content will need to flow like water.

• Responsive design is just the beginning. It’s not just about flexible layouts, it’s about flexible content
• The browser and web platform. It’s easy to forget how much infrastructure we’ve built into the web and browser. Things like forms serve an important purpose.
• Things we add are often a response to change. Interface conventions change as technology becomes available. “We have a robust browser now, how do we navigate it?” Reader apps are a response to clutter
• Proxy web browsers are giant polyfills. They add a lot of value as they bridge the gap between the capable and incapable.
• Tools that bridge the gap to respond to change: “Reader” apps, UA switching on mobile browsers
• The rise of more baked-in features, like HTML5 forms. They’re intelligent, responsive, platform-appropriate yet adaptable components. What if we applied this to other components?
• Everything you add to the page is something you’re taking away from the latency profile of the page. Everything you add should have real value.
• ‘Back to Top’ links are useful and easy to implement for long mobile pages. Why aren’t they baked this into all browsers?
• Social media widgets are currently implemented client-side. These should eventually be offloaded to the platform. They should be considered plumbing. Mobile is the needle, social is the thread. -Pew
• There are only so many ways to re-arrange complex navigation. Some sites are just complex, period. What about a native trigger that fires up a default browser “menu” component, similar to datepicker, or select menu, etc.
• Media formats aren’t adaptive enough. We keep forgetting about user choice. They are the best ones to determine what quality of media they want.
• Look to Quicktime wired media (used connection speed and screen size) as a reference. Drop in a self-contained package that allows you to not have to worry about the logic
• Cultural change more dramatic, but we tend to focus on the technologies themselves.

I’ve now had the opportunity to hear Stephanie present on multiple occasions, and every time I am completely blown away. This time, I was honored to make it into Stephanie’s slides in the form of a tweeting smart toaster. I’m very happy about that!

In This Web Goes to 11, James Pearce (@jamespearce) demonstrates how device and network APIs can take the mobile web to a whole new dimension. The future looks awesome.

The Current Mobile Web World

• The web was bound to escape from the desktop and was meant to be carried with us wherever we went.
• Native apps have access to all the device APIs and as a result can create more contextually-aware experiences.
• Look beyond the piece of glass and think of the human on the other end of the device.
• The mobile web is trapped in a sandbox called the browser and we’re forced to adapt to browser’s constraints.
• Mobile web is in a pretty sad state with regards to capabilities. “I’m sure there are plenty of Facebook mobile web users that are confused why there isn’t an ‘upload photo’ button.”
• It’s not that native solutions will go away, but the web needs the power to at least be competitive with native solutions.
• WAP sites years ago had access to device APIs that sadly aren’t available in modern mobile browsers

Device APIs

• Device API Working Group, a good rundown of what we can hope to expect from the mobile web soon.
• Geolocation is one of the best supported device APIs out of everything.
• <input type=file> currently doesn’t work on iOS, but is supported on Android 2.3+.
• getUserMedia currently is only supported in Opera Mobile. James demoed a simple photo-taking app he made with 100 lines of code. Related: check out Patrick Lauke’s browser-based QR code reader demo which uses getUserMedia.
• Messaging API allows you to send text messages from mobile browsers.
• Mobile devices are bristling with sensors, unfortunately the mobile web currently doesn’t have access to many of them.
• Mozilla WebAPI and Boot to Gecko projects are hoping to make web THE platform. You can actually view source on a Boot to Gecko phone. James was a little concerned at first that Mozilla was duplicating efforts, but Mozilla has made a commitment to bring everything into the W3C as it gets developed.
• The goal of PhoneGap is to expose as many device APIs as possible.
• SMS and camera access and more could make authentication far more frictionless. Email is a pain in the ass.
• Privacy concerns aren’t as big of a deal as they are a user choice. Also, things that were historically taboo (i.e. sharing location) are now commonplace.
• Progressive enhancement can give way to ‘no compromise’. If a photo app doesn’t have camera access, you’re not in business. Sometimes apps require advanced support and there’s little you can do to give an experience to unsupported platforms.
• Ringmark is a way to gauge how advanced a mobile browser is and what APIs it supports.
• We have an opportunity to evolve the web beyond a web of documents, and device APIs give us a glimpse of how to do that.