I recently picked this up from Adverblog and thought that this would be a great thing to start my new theme surrounding adding value through emerging media. Adverblog seemed to really like the fact that Gucci decided to shelve flash in favor of AJAX however, other than improved searchability, AJAX was not used in a Web 2.0 fashion at all. In fact, the use of AJAX here adds no value to the end user as, the functionality is reminiscent of a flash app. I am not saying that Gucci needs to pull out all the Web 2.0 bells and whistles. In fact, I am getting sick of saying web 2.0, I JUST WANT VALUE DAMMIT! Let people tag items so friends can search what their friends are searching. Give people a Gucci locker to save items, do something to add value to the user experience. I have decided to give value grades and this one gets a D+. Two things were done right: 1. The sheer fact that the agency Wollzelle decided to use AJAX is a plus but the fact that they think they are redefining user experience is a big bad minus! 2. Wollzelle realized that they were producing an e-commerce site and recognized the importance of searchability. Overall, this seems to be a display a tricks but, I am hoping that the effort was in the name of search! Link to Gucci