Wix: Interphase Overview

Introduction

Wix is a website design application that empowers users to create visually appealing and functional websites without the need for technical or coding knowledge. So essentially a website maker for coding dummies. Marketed primarily toward independent creators like bloggers, small business owners, and writers, Wix promises an easy path to building an online presence. In its attempt at democratizing web development for Wix and other apps like it have turned away from educating people on how to do tasks and instead turned toward just completing the tasks for them. Wix makes people think they’re self taught when in reality they’ve learned nothing. It can be argued that this is a net negative for society and I want to ask the question what is the purpose of a human in todays digital landscape.

First Impressions and Onboarding

The landing page of  Wix emphasizes customization mentioning the site was made using its own software, All Items move as you scroll showing the uniqueness and creativity that’s possible on the website.When you first start the website process Wix, immediately greets you with an AI assistant interphase that offers to just build the site for you. Manual options are available but the platform starts you out with and clearly encourages the AI-driven path. I chose to let the AI handle the setup just so I could see how much of the site I could have the AI make for me. for a personal blog focused on unusual and entertaining stories at the University of Illinois at Chicago 

(UIC). The AI asked a series of questions—site name, theme, purpose—and, in real time, began constructing the website based on my responses. This process made it easy to see how minimal user effort was required in this entire process. Every customization aspect was done for me and I just got to sit back and watch.

Domain Selection and SEO Limitations

After customizing my site’s look and design, I reached the domain name selection stage. My original choice, The Daily Strange, was unavailable (unfortunately) . Wix helped me find an available alternative, name. After selecting this available name I was prompted to purchase a custom domain with no other options other than buying it or closing the window. It’s safe to say a domain is not required but strongly encouraged. I opted to go with the free Wix subdomain they provide with the .wix ending (jstra21.wix), which I imagine negatively impacted the SEO potential of my website highlighting the platform’s “subtle”push toward the paid subscription of the site over the free version of the site.

Design, Customization, and the AI Takeover

Wix not only offers AI-generated design suggestions but also preloads your site with a few relevant articles based on your blog’s theme. While this adds convenience, it also reinforces the idea that the user is more of a guide than a creator. The articles also by virtue of being AI generated lack soul or any new insight or information. Customization on the site is possible but very limited unless you pay extra. The drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly and easy to operate, but deeper personalization—such as uploading unique icons or templates—is locked behind the paywall.

User Experience and Blogging Tools

Despite limitations in customization, Wix was an enjoyable site to blog on. The blog editor is intuitive, what you see is what you get, and includes features like a built-in newsletter/emailing list. In this sense Wix serves its function in making the coding experience accessible to the less tech savvy. After the initial setup I felt like I could focus on just blogging and putting my posts out with minimal effort and the occasional change to the websites design to fit my current needs. I posted my blog to the UIC reddit account and it gained a decent amount of traffic despite the SEO problems.

Reflection: Technology Doing the Work for Us

Wix’s user interface and functionality are dramatically better than I expected them to be, I actually attempted to use the site a few years back when I wanted a website. The site didn;’t have any AI integration or chatbots manning the site, it was just drag and drop and whatever customization and design you ended up with was wholly your own creation. That wasn’t my experience, I remember using the site and not understanding it at all before ultimately giving up and never getting my website made. This may seem like an advertisement for Wix and how AI is actually the better approach because I would’ve had my website but on the contrary. I think that if I would’ve put in the work and created a site myself or even took the time to watch a tutorial on coding or wix website making I would’ve been more satisfied with my work. I would’ve been satisfied because I would have made something myself and learned a skill along the way. I think this shift points to a broader digital trend. It’s no secret that if you sell a man a fish he’ll eat that day and if you teach a man to fish he’ll never buy from you again. The platform doesn’t teach web design or make it accessible, it replaces it entirely and leaves you uneducated and in their palm. From the moment you log in, AI takes the reins, and while that’s beneficial for quick deployment and slop farms but it just feels like such a missed opportunity to learn and grow. Imagine if you went to make a song and AI just let you click a cord progression and mapped it out for you. All of this raises important questions about human agency in digital creation. If AI designs the site, writes the articles, and manages the layout, what is left for the user besides clicking prompts?

Conclusion

Wix is a powerful and affordable tool for those wanting a personal or professional website without the hassle of coding. Its interface is smooth, and its AI-driven design system ensures that anyone can publish a site quickly. However, this convenience comes at the cost of learning. The platform exemplifies a technological shift where AI doesn’t just assist—it dominates. In this landscape, the human becomes more of a project manager than a creator, raising questions about what it means to “build” something in the age of automation. The site wants you to take the easy way out and have them do it for you, it keeps you ignorant and retains a customer but the final product will always lack the human soul, design and insight. When we get to the point where AI moves from tool to worker we have to ask ourselves if we’ve gone too far in our quest for automation and efficiency to the point where we’ve cut ourselves out of the equation. I get the feeling that many other people may disagree in the name of something like innovation, the idea that we should always be moving forward no matter what. The question isn’t if we should it’s if we can we’re going to. All and all wix is a perfectly practical application for creating a website, I just think it’s a good marker to show the direction we’re heading towards.