The Thought
On just about every design blog, you will find at least one post that attempts to define “Web 2.0″, and what it’s made of. All the “hip” sites claim to be “Web 2.0″, and companies now put out job bulletins requesting that designers have “Web 2.0″ skills. I personally think all the hype has gone too far.
The History
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that for a site to be “Web 2.0″ used to mean that its creator had used good design sense combined with new technologies or new ways of implementing old technologies (ie. AJAX). When “Web 2.0″ first emerged it was touted as the future because it was based on solid, common sense ideas. This has changed drastically.
The problem with any good idea is that it can be taken completely out of context. “Web 2.0″ became a popular buzzword almost overnight and people thought “That’s where the money is.” The unfortunate result is that many people have completely forgotten the original concepts behind the buzzword, and you can see the disastrous effects (ie. MySpace) all around the net.
AJAX has become synonymous with drag ‘n’ drop functionality. Usability is about big fonts. “Web 2.0″ itself has been relegated to a system of gradients, shiny graphics (see Ultimate Web 2.0 Layer Styles), and blingblingpuddapuddasha. I see this as a major problem.
What Can We Do?
I’m afraid it’s up to us as designers to change things. “Web 2.0″ for the public is synonymous with a lot of hype. For us designers, it’s an abused buzzword. I think it’s time for us to break out of the mold again. Constant revolution is the only thing that keeps this world turning (pardon the pun), and some one’s got to push the big red button.
The best start would probably be to promote the values behind “Web 2.0″, and forget the buzzwords entirely. But what are these values? Let’s go over the list.
- Following Good Design Principles - KISS, non-confusing navigation, grid systems, basic color theory, and the list goes on
- Follow The Standards - Make things validate.
- Making Sites Accessible - Know your audience; if your site’s users use screen readers, text browsers, or the like, is your information there for them? (There is, of course, more to this, but you get the drift.)
- Push The Boundaries - While keeping the above points in mind, try out new web technologies, or implement old technologies in a brand new way.
Please feel free to add to the list.
Keeping with these values is a key part of good design. These are the ideas that need to stay with us, even when a new generation of web technologies arrive and someone shouts, “Web 3.0!”
Feedback
What do you think? Who else is tired of “Web 2.0″? What base values do you think make up Web 2.0? Should we just drop the Web 2.0 tag and promote these values in their own right?
