Beyond traditional websites
For most of us, the web is now an everyday part of our lives, delivering on-demand content wherever and whenever we choose. Over time, the web has diversified to deliver more varied types of content, but one aspect — the humble website — has remained largely unchanged. Websites faithfully deliver that mass of content in a digestible format that we instinctively recognise as “a website”.
Most of them share many common elements (navigation, featured content, advertisements, etc.) that make them identifiable as websites. As trends emerge in web design, these elements are assimilated into many different sites, making it hard to stand out from the crowd. This can be especially difficult for sites that deliver content similar to others’, or want you to remember their product. The issue we face with websites today is how we can change another fish in the sea into a memorable web experience.
The answer may lie in reimagining what we expect from a website. Take a moment to think about the last website you visited; visualise it. Can you remember the smaller details like what else was in the menus and featured section, or just the specific bits of information you extracted from it? We’re so used to the format of websites that there are many parts we will instantly disregard as noise. If your content appears in that area, it’s going to get ignored.
Now think about the last film you watched. How does that experience compare? In films, information is presented before us, ready to consume quickly and with no noise to distract us from the core message. The problem now is we’ve removed the interaction, leaving our user open to outside distraction. If we lose our user here, then we’re not likely to see them again. What we need is a hybrid: a website that offers a cinematic feel so that it stands out, but that still has enough interaction to keep the user engaged.
A notable example of this is the New Mobile Workforce site by Red Bull and Citrix. It uses impactful, full-screen graphics and slick transitional animations to grab the user’s attention — and keep it. The textual content is then layered over the top for the user to explore. Such an impactful site will leave a lasting impression on the user that will help them recall the experience… and the information you want them take in. At first glance, you could argue that the information in this site is hidden away and could be missed by users. However, I would argue that this is based on the assumption that a user would be treating this site the same way as a regular site. But after the site has made its initial impact, the reaction is to explore and experience more. By carefully planning your site like this, you can easily get all the key information you need in front of the user in a way that will excite and engage them.
Audience is, of course, still key here. Just having a great web experience alone is not going to guarantee more users. An expertly designed interactive experience on Curious Critters is not likely to hold the attention of an adult for very long, but a child could remain engaged for hours. Conversely, children are probably not that excited by the Qantas flight you’ve booked.
Probably the best application for this kind of site is when targeting general consumers. Showcasing a new product in this way helps make it memorable, gets all the key selling points across and associates the product with a fun experience.
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