Web 2.0

Web 2.0 ?!

I'm using the term "Web 2.0 design" to describe the prevailing style of the best web design

Many people use the term "Web 2.0″ to describe:

a resurgence in the web economya new level of technological interactivity between web sites and servicesor social phenomena deriving from new types of online communities and social networks

Many others also use the term in reference to a recent school of best-practice web design. I'm comfortable with using it in that context here.

In sociological terms, movements impact people on many levels: economic, cultural, political, etc. Is skate-punk about entertainment and sport, music and the music industry, fashion, or the breakdown of society?

Best Web Design Features

I'm going to take you through the features of the current wave of the best website designs, dissect the most significant features, explain why each one can be good, and show you how to use them in your own sites.

If I had to sum up "Web 2.0″ design in one word, it would have to be "simplicity", so that's where we'll start.

I'm a great believer in simplicity. I think it's the way forward for web design.

Today's simple, bold, elegant page designs deliver more with less:

They enable designers to shoot straight for the site's goals, by guiding the site visitor's eye through the use of fewer, well-chosen visual elements.They use fewer words but say more, and carefully selected imagery to create the desired feel.They reject the idea that we can't guess what people want from our sites

1. Simplicity

"Use as few features as are necessary to achieve what you need to achieve"

Web design is simpler than ever, and that's a good thing.

2.0 design means focused, clean and simple.

That doesn't necessarily mean minimalist, as I'll explain later.

I really believe in simplicity. That's not to say that all websites should be minimal, but that we should use as few features as are necessary to achieve what you need to achieve.

Here are some examples. Note how unnecessary elements have been stripped out from each. There could be a lot more on each page than there is… but would that make them stronger?

The result is that you have to look at the content. You find yourself interacting with exactly the screen features the designer intended. And you don't mind – it's easy, and you get just what you came for.

Here's a great case in point. Atlas Software help businesses with cloud software solutions. Their website tells you exactly what you need to know, with very little decoration or unnecessary visual information. The content comes through.

More examples of simple design