Design, process, and the internet

In 1989, a single invention set off a chain of events that transformed the world and consequently, lead to the recent prominence of user experience design within the product development process.

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989. The invention standardized how documents and other resources can be identified, searched, and accessed on the free internet. While it enabled people and organizations to connect with other people and organizations without limitations of place and time, it introduced technical limitations associated with the hardware and software that made access to the internet possible; it was all quite technical.

Initially, the internet was viewed as an entirely virtual space, distinguished from the physical "brick and mortar" world. The model in the preceding diagram illustrates a change in role of design, as companies and organizations moved into the digital domain and software development business.

Traditional "brick and...