I've taken several web design classes now, and most of them start out the same way - what are the best websites and why. I find it interesting that sometimes the lists of 'best websites' aren't even close to the same. Everyone has their own personal reasons for classifying a particular site as 'the best.'In my current web design class we read a list of the '10 Best-Designed Websites in the World' by Ben Hunt. I was quite surprised by Ben list, mostly because of the sites that were not there. Ben's list concentrated on the physical design elements of a website, which are important, but I personally believe that aesthetics are only of what goes into designing a website.
If I were to create a list of top websites it would most likely include the sites I use most often such as Google, Facebook and The New York Times. I believe that the best designed sites are designed not only to look great, but that the purpose of the site portrays useful data to it's users effectively.
I'll admit I still have a lot to learn about organizing web sites in an effective way, it takes a lot of planning and work. Currently my web design options are limited by what I can do, but as I continue to learn as much as possible about design and function of websites I hope I'll be able to create meaningful websites.
