There’s been a lot of internal talk here at The Bivings Group regarding the use of Ajax and the idea of Web 2.0, the second generation of web applications.

I came across a great article and subsequent conversation on the use of new web technologies and web interface design in general. It talks about how there is still a lot of improvement to be made in terms of web application interface design (as opposed to website interface design) and how new technology has rarely contributed to that. Here is an excerpt that talks about how the real reason Google Maps has the success it has is not because of its use of Ajax, but because of the developers’ focus on application usability:

“Google Maps took off like a rocket, because their competitors, despite having five, six (or more) years lead on them, had wretched interfaces. [...] Google cleans up because they find a market where the current market leaders have a great idea, maybe even great technology, but provide a lousy user experience.”

Basically Google is one of the few companies that develop web applications that have learned how to selectively harness old and new web technology to its full potential.

As a science, web application usability is still very much in its infancy. Successful web application developers should be focusing their time and energy on application design much more than on applying new web application technologies. The net end result is a much better and well thought out product.

Technorati Tags: Technology Development Web 2.0 Usability Web

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