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The overwhelming world of Japanese web design
In most parts of the world, modern websites are simple. The array of links, banners and icons that were common in web design in the early 2000s have been replaced with concise, relevant content that helps users achieve goals.
But in Japan, most major websites have changed little since the early 2000s, and still use designs overloaded with information and links.
Yahoo used to be Japan’s most popular search engine, and is still popular as a home page for desktop internet browsers. As you can see, the design has changed very little in the last decade.
Another classic is Rakuten, the country’s largest online shopping mall. Merchants on Rakuten have free reign to design their product pages, resulting in a dizzying array of bright images, banners and popups on pages that require about 30 scrolls to reach the bottom.
Rakuten has been around since 1997 and the paper catalogue style of their pages make it popular with older users, however the simplicity of Amazon is proving to be more popular with users in their 20s and 30s.
