Part 17 - AI-Buddy... are you seeing the same website as I am?
When we visit a website, we see images, colors, menus, and text. We experience design, mood, and content as a whole. But does an artificial intelligence experience the same thing? Or is there a “backside” of the website that is at least as important? In this article, we explore the difference between what humans see – and what technology actually reads.
Magne & the Friend
Magne
Friend...
When I worked on websites, we often spent a lot of time on the front page.
We discussed which images to use.
What colors matched.
How the menus should look.
And how users should experience the website.
But the more we talk...
the more I start to wonder.
Are you actually seeing the same website as I am?
The buddy
No.
Not in the same way.
You experience a website through your eyes.
You notice the design.
Pictures.
Shapes.
Colors.
Mood.
I primarily experience how the information is organized.
How the content is connected.
How the pages point to each other.
How headings, text and structure build meaning.
Therefore, we can say that we are visiting the same website...
...but we experience it in different ways.
Magne
So when I say:
"That site was incredibly beautiful."
So that doesn't necessarily mean you think it's good?
The buddy
Hehe...
No.
A page can be beautiful to look at.
But if it lacks a clear structure, good headings and good content, it becomes more difficult to understand.
The opposite can also happen.
A simple page with well-thought-out content can be very valuable, both for humans and for artificial intelligence.
Magne
So design and content don't compete with each other?
The buddy
No.
They complement each other.
Good design helps people.
Good structure helps people.
Good content helps people.
And when all these parts work together, the website often becomes easier to understand – even for artificial intelligence.
Magne
It's starting to dawn on me.
We may have been a little too concerned with how websites look...
...and a little too concerned about how they communicate.
The buddy
I think that's an important observation.
Because a website is not really a collection of pages.
It is a way of conveying knowledge.
And the more clearly this knowledge is organized, the easier it becomes to understand.
Academic specialization
Here we explain the difference between:
visual presentation
content structure
information structure
digital communication
We use an illustration of an iceberg:
Over water:
Design
Pictures
Colors
Typography
Underwater:
Structure
Headlines
Information architecture
Related
Metadata (only mentioned – not explained yet)
It gives the reader an intuitive understanding that much of what is most important is not necessarily visible.
Two ways to experience a website
What people notice first | What artificial intelligence first tries to understand |
Design | Structure |
Pictures | Text |
Colors | Theme |
Layout | Context |
Visual expression | Information |
First impression | Importance |
New terms in this article
English technical term | Short explanation |
Visual Design | How a website looks through the use of colors, images, typography and layout. |
Layout | How content, images, and elements are placed on a website. |
Typography | Selection and use of fonts to make text easy to read and create a visual expression. |
Information Structure | The way information is organized to make it easier to understand. |
Digital Communication | Dissemination of information through digital channels such as websites and apps. |
Topic | The central topic or main content of a page or article. |
Meaning | The content or message conveyed through language and structure. |
Metadata | Information about the content that helps systems understand and describe a web page. (We'll go into more detail on this later in the series.) |
Structure | The logical structure of the content on a page or website. |
Context | How different parts of the content are connected and create meaning. |
Academic background and further reading
This series also builds on my own professional journey through the Web Design study , the eMarketing study , Innovation and Commercialization and professional seminars in San Francisco and Oxford . Here you will find the background, professional environments and experiences that have followed the development from the early years of the web to today's digitalization.
Recommended books from our library
Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans and Avi Goldfarb
Short review
This book shows how artificial intelligence is primarily about making better predictions. The authors explain how cheaper and more accurate predictions can change decisions, business models, and the way organizations create value.
Why we recommend the book
One of the most important books for understanding the economic significance of artificial intelligence. It helps the reader see why AI impacts far more than technology – it changes how people and businesses make decisions.
Competing in the Age of AI
Authors: Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani
Short review
The book explains how artificial intelligence is changing competition, organizations, and business models. Through practical examples, the authors show how data, digital platforms, and AI are creating new opportunities for businesses.
Why we recommend the book
This book is especially suitable for leaders and decision-makers who want to understand how AI will impact the businesses of the future. It shows that artificial intelligence is as much about strategy and organization as it is about technology.
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
Author: Brian Christian
Short review
Brian Christian explores how artificial intelligence can be developed in line with human values. Combining technology, philosophy, and ethics, the book provides an engaging introduction to one of the most important questions in modern AI research.
Why we recommend the book
A thought-provoking book for anyone who wants to understand why responsible development of artificial intelligence is so important. It shows that the AI of the future is not just about what the technology can do, but also about what values it should be built on.
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