Web 2.0 for Designers

During the times of Web 1.0 just a limited number of authors were created web pages for a big amount of readers. As a result, people got the information by visiting the source directly. However in the course of time more and more people started not just reading but also writing by themselves on the Net. The effect turned out to be quite interesting – too much information for examination has been produced suddenly. It became physically impossible to visit numerous sites even if they are worth of attention. And since then it became obvious that the paradigm of Web 1.0 should be changed.

Welcome to Web 2.0 – Net vision here all the information is divided into micro parts which can be distributed to dozens domains. The Net of the documents was transformed to the Net of data. We no longer look for old sources of information, now we are trying to find tools for classifying micro parts of information to the convenient look.

These tools-interfaces Web 2.0 would become the first line of designers’ innovations.

Existence of RSS- aggregators, search systems, portals, various API and web services (XML-RPC, SOAP and others) serve as a confirmation of it. Web 2.0 is often described as “Net as a platform” and we think of it as it is a platform for information interaction, we see as it influences the design. Just imagine that the information was given by the various participants of the process – by the companies, individuals, government – and which might be combined by the single interface under one roof. For example, Amazon gives an access to its data base for all comers. One can create its own interface which may satisfy your requirements greatly. It is important that information delivery might be built to the different needs.

One can count up to 6 tendencies which characterize Web 2.0 for designers. We will try to summarize all these tendencies with short examples.

JUMP TO THE SEMANTIC MARKIP AND XML

One of the most important peculiarities at Web 2.0 understanding is the jump to the semantic markup which describes information accurately which it is related to. The most popular languages of markup HTML and XHTML are generally used for the information reflection. Tags which can be used with CSS styles are developed for it. However tags are not enough for the description of different information: we have only the simplest paragraphs, headings, lists and roughly speaking this is all. And as for Web 2.0 these descriptions are not just possible but are also extremely important! 

As an example we can give RSS/XML format for information combining at the convenient form. It is an easy way to inform readers about new materials on the site. You have just sign up for RSS at the program for the work with similar data.

GRANT OF THE WEB SERVICES

On the initial stage of Net developing when no one even thought about semantic markup all sites represented simple collection of pages. The pages were either static or in some way animated for making them interactive. The common way for site advertisement was its positioning as special “places” – Net as a virtual world with its own stores and portals.

At the end of 90s and especially at the beginning of the 21st century rising of XML technologies and web services started gradual changing of site design and its structure. XML technologies allowed information became public and available for various systems and web services have provided interfaces to the insides of the web sites. Thus the visual interface for data access turned into programming (AIP).

Good examples of web services are eBay and Amazon. Their data bases are available to every programmer who is able to build his own interface for work with API.

INFORMATION CONVERSION FROM “WHAT AND WHEN” TO “WHO AND WHY”

Web design of Web 1.0 presented site building as “a thing in itself”. But information can not be left in the single place, if not going against the nature of the social network and not locking it. Web 2.0 design should create not just sites but a somewhat of an environment controlled by the events. And it’s not occasional that RSS became dominant. It allows getting information in the aggregator any time without outside design. Search systems can also present search results in this format.

As information flows freely now at RSS channels, designers should think about how to give the information itself but not the sites.

 UPDATED NAVIGATION AND INFORMATION RELEVANCE

In the result of conversion of information it can be read far from its source. Thus the main part of navigation, which is used for the access to some specific information, might be unavailable, for example at aggregators.

One of the side effects of this consists in the fact that sources and ways of getting useful information will change constantly; and users will not be able to find it. Fortunately aggregators can easily answer this question: they will be able to follow user’s activity. Memorizing those micro parts that users reviews most frequently, aggregator can foresee the information which might e useful in future. Services Del.icio.us and Blogdex are the examples of it.

The scheme laid down in its foundation of calculating of information importance helps users find something new at different unknown sites even without visiting them. The most popular ways of navigation will occur from users’ behavior but won’t be created by someone especially for this purpose.

METADATA AND COMMUNITIES CTREATING SOCIAL DATA BASES

One of the peculiarities of Web 1.0 which was expected to change everything was the possibility to change the publication t any time. There are no such typographical notions on the Net as editing and printing. There is only site and its current condition. We are already used to such state of affairs, and the optimist may hope the information on the Net will become better with time: metadata (data about data) will be added, descriptions will become more deep, titles will become more distinct as well as links will become more comprehensive.

What we see at Web 2.0 has gone much further and users can easily add their own metadata. For example, those keywords which can be added to publications at various site-communities. It is also interesting to watch the tendencies developed under keywords comparison of great number of users. One can easily find a lot of things which we couldn’t even assume.

DRIFTING TO PROGRAMMING:    DIFFERENTIATION OF STRUCTURE AND STYLE

There were two stages of web design during Web 1.0. Previously designers were using animated pictures included into tables at the various combinations. Later CSS came into fashion giving the possibility of differentiation style from the structure. But even after this, the main emphasis were laid down on the visual design, it was the main way of attracting attention.

The world of Web 2.0, however, is not already defined as some space and is not based only on the visual style. Sole currency of Web 2.0 is XML, that is why words and their meaning is much more significant rather then its look. Information became mobile and available for the programming methods. We can even say that now we are creating design for the machines but not for the people.

What does it mean for web designers? It means that designers should start thinking about how to present information. They have to be on friendly terms with web services, API and RSS. And finally designers should become programmers in certain sense.
   
IN CONCLUSION

The consequences of Web 2.0 are far-reaching. Like every changes of paradigms, it influences on how people use Network in social, cultural or personal aims. Web designers and developers are the most influenced people here. And not only they will have to increase their qualification but also to realize the information as a part of some united and single whole, as an ecosystem, if you want to, but not as a separated island.