This hybrid approach creates a structured conversation that feels natural but is also predictable and coherent. These elements prevent the experience from becoming a maze or leaving the user unsure of what to do next.
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Melvin Yuan · · 6 min readWebsites built for browsing are losing. Conversation is winning
A few months ago, I noticed something about the way I work with my partners and vendors. When I looked at how I interacted with them, one thing stood out: I don’t visit their websites, ever.
If I need something, I send a WhatsApp message. If there’s an update, it shows up in a chat group. If I have a question, I forward a document and ask for help, and I even avoid email.
Image credit: Arsal Ysfin
This made me think about how we’ve been taught to start and grow companies. The standard playbook hasn’t changed much in the last two decades:
- Secure a domain name.
- Create polished, authoritative content.
- Organize it into a credible, professional-looking website.
- Publish it and treat it as the digital “front door” for your business.
For a long time, this made sense. But today, we rarely browse websites to understand a product or service; instead, we reach out directly.
We ask questions and expect context-aware help, making our interactions with businesses conversational, not navigational. The website still matters, but it’s no longer where decisions are made or relationships are built.
So why are we still designing experiences around static pages?
The traditional web page is no longer the right unit of design – conversation is. Here’s what that means in practice.
Design principles for the conversational web
Almost every modern digital interaction is conversational, and modern tools are built around intent rather than navigation.
But our websites still behave as if users are ready to explore page hierarchies and decode navigational bars. They assume attention, curiosity, and a willingness to read, when most people want clarity, direction, and an immediate next step.
See also: Agents, not ads, are the next frontier for online sales
This mismatch is not a small user experience (UX) issue, but the design opportunity of the decade.
In making the web conversational, there’s no shortage of hype around chatbots and AI-driven interfaces. When you look at the most effective implementations, the same core design principles emerge.
Conversational principles in action
How to begin a conversational redesign
Rebuilding the interface from first principles
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