Bootstrap, a UI framework for the modern Web

It was almost exactly one year ago and I remember it quite vividly. I was attending an event organized by Google which was about the Chrome Web Store, as well as HTML5 and web applications in general. After the speaker finished pitching about awesomeness of this stuff (and how Chrome was the only browser that supported them all, of course), it was time for a round of questions and some discussion. I seized this opportunity and brought up an issue of user interface inconsistencies that plague the contemporary web apps. Because the Web as a platform doesn’t really enforce any constraints on UI paradigms, we can experience all sorts of “creative” approaches to user interface. In their pursuit of novelty and eye candies, web designers often sacrifice usability by not adhering to well known interface metaphors, and shying away from uniform UI elements.

At that time I didn’t really get a good answer that would address this issue. And it’s an important one, given the rate at which web applications are springing to life and replacing their equivalent desktop programs. Does it mean we’ll be stuck with this UI bonanza for the time being?…

Fortunately, there are some early first signs that it might not necessarily be so.

Enter Bootstrap

Few months later, in August 2011, Twitter released the first version of Bootstrap framework. Originally intended for internal use, this set of common HTML, CSS and JS patterns was made open source and released into the wild. The praise it subsequently gained is definitely well deserved, for it is a great set of tools for kickstarting development of any web-related project. Its features include:

• a flexible grid system for establishing a skeleton of the web page or app
• a set of great-looking styles for HTML form elements
• many complex UI components, like collapsible alerts, dropdowns, navigation bars, modal windows, and so on
• customizable set of CSS styles for typical markup elements, such as headers or tables

Along with universal acclaim came also the popularity: it is currently the most watched project on GitHub.

The value of consistency

However, some want to argue that being so popular has also an unanticipated, negative side. It makes the developers lazy, convinced they can get away without a “proper” design for their site or app. Even more: it allegedly shows disrespect for their users, as if the creator simply didn’t care how does their product look like.

Does it compute? I don’t think so. Do you complain if you find that any particular desktop application uses the very same looks for UI components, like buttons or list boxes?… Of course not. We learned to value the consistency and predictability that this entails, because it frees us from the burden of mentally adjusting to every single GUI app that we happen to use. Similarly, developers appreciate how this makes their work easier: they don’t have to code dropdown menus or modal dialogs, which in turns allows them to spend more time on actual, useful functionality.

Sure, it didn’t happen overnight when desktop OS’ were emerging as software platforms. Also, there are still plenty of apps whose creators – willfully or unintentionally – chose not to adhere to the standards. Sometimes it’s even for the good, as it allows for new, useful UI patterns to emerge and be adopted by the mainstream. The resulting process is still that of convergence, producing interfaces which are more consistent and easier to use.

Bootstrap shapes the Web

The analogous process may just be happening to the Internet, considered as a “platform” for web applications. By steadily raising in popularity, Bootstrap has a chance of becoming the UI framework for Web in general – an obvious first choice for any new project.

Of course, even if this happens, it would be terribly unlikely that it starts reigning supreme and making every website look almost exactly the same – i.e. transforming the Web into equivalent of desktop. What’s much more likely is following the footsteps of mobile platforms. In there, every app strives to be original and appealing but only those that correctly balance usability with artsy design provide really compelling user experience.

It will not be without differences, though. Mobile platforms are generally ruled with iron (or clay) fist and have relevant UI guidelines spelled out explicitly. For Web it’s very much not the case, so any potential “standardization” is necessarily a bottom-up process whose benefits have to be indisputable and clearly visible. Despite some opposition, Bootstrap seems to have enough momentum to really (ahem) bootstrap this process. It already wins hearts and minds of many web developers, so it may be just a matter of time.

If it happens, I believe the Web will be in better place.