What is a good tutorial or reusable resource for 'web 2.0' design?

Question

I'm looking for a tutorial or some reusable resources that I can use to give my application a more modern look and feel. For want of a better description, I'm aiming for a simple and uncluttered web2.0 / ajaxy look. edit: emphasis on simple and uncluttered - something stripped down and functional

Ideally I am looking for something quick and lightweight (I mean this mainly in terms of development time, but small bandwidth use is also good), and that doesn't require guru level knowledge of css to play around with. (I'd rather focus on the app functionality than endless debugging of some arcane css rule to get something to appear in the right place!)

In case it matters, the app is based on rails and has the usual tagging and similar social features. I'm using some of the default rails ajax stuff.

Answer 1

My feeling is that "Web 2.0" as a concept is being superceded by sites like StackOverflow that are really paring down and prioritising usability over everything else, so that means no AJAX for the sake of it, no glassy buttons, extraneous graphics or hi-tech menus. Post Web 2.0 if you like. Think about usability and form always following function and you're halfway there.

Jeff / Joel namechecked a book in their podcasts you may be interested in - Dont Make Me Think.

Hope that helps a bit :)

Answer 2

I'm not even sure what you're asking.

If you're asking for a good learning resource on how to do Ajax, I would suggest checking out www.Peepcode.com.

If you're asking for a template on doing ajax tasks, here's one: http://github.com/melvinram/ajax-image-upload/

It is code uploading an image via ajax.

I suggest clarifying what you need.

Answer 3

For the 'look' aspect of your question, as a non-designer, I find Open Source Web Design quite useful.

If I have a vague idea of what I want, something from there is a much better starting point than a blank page.