Web 2.0: Simple & social
Explaining Web 2.0 is an on-going conversation. We've talked about it here, here, and here. My attempt at a short definition: participatory, social, highly interactive, with user-generated content. Here's an even shorter one from Ellyssa Kroski, a reference librarian at Columbia University: simple and social.
She points to online applications like Google Docs, and photo/video sharing sites like Flickr and YouTube as examples of software that does its job simply, with minimal learning needed. If you've ever uploaded a video to YouTube you know the process could hardly be simpler.
Kroski's article, Information Design for the New Web, lists specific visual characteristics of Web 2.0 and explains advances in user interaction brought in by the use of Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). Here are some highlights of what she has to say.
Web 2.0 looks like...
- Centered Design – clean and self-assured centered orientation, much more compatible with various screen sizes and resolutions
- San Serif and Lower Case Fonts – sans-serif fonts and lowercase fonts convey a comfortable, casual rapport with the user
- Simple Persistent Navigation – distinct and obvious, it is persistent meaning that it appears on each page throughout the website
- Strong Colors – emphasize important concepts as well as create distinction between areas of a page.
- Whitespace – increased line heights and lots of whitespace = clean and fresh pages
Thank you, Ajax, for...
- Large Tabs - toggling between tabs possible without reloading the entire page
- Drag & Drop – allows users to drag desired widgets and gadgets into their customized space
- AutoComplete – website authors can specify suggestions to appear as the visitor types a response
- Maps – mapping capabilities are becoming a commonplace and integral part of the user experience
- WYSIWYG– blogs, wikis, content management systems, and other web-based applications imitate a Word-like interface
Social, meaning...
- Commenting – visitors want to join the conversation and add their two cents
- Rating & Reviewing – becoming requisites for websites with products and media
- Send to a Friend – provide site visitors with the tools to send articles, videos, photos, and products to their friends
- Share -Web applications, documents, calendars and other content creation tools should be shareable with a team
- Creating New – mashups: users want to remix unique websites through their APIs or RSSfeeds.
And more...
Kroski's article goes on to detail more social aspects of the web, and finishes with basic principles and philosophies for the "New Web." It's worth a read. I found it reprinted at Robin Good's blog (another good find).
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