We’re always on the hunt for new techniques, better solutions and just some good ol’ fresh ideas. Here are a couple of simple concepts I found in use on the web that I think help us look at a standard solution and offer a non-standard answer.

#1 — Making the Usual, Unusual.

Instead of the usual neatly organized drop-down sub menu of options, we have a custom drop-down shelf! This is a great concept for the young demographic visiting their website who are in interested in the lifestyle aspects of the brand. Beyond that though, it’s a way for Converse to show how relevant they still are by employing innovative web design techniques.

http://www.converse.com/

#2 — Kill a Fly with a Shotgun.

David Airey is a great designer and a vocal blogger based in Ireland. Even though I frequent his website, I’ve never clicked on his explanation of RSS. When I did, I saw he decided to answer that question with a video of all things (linked from commoncraft). He could have accomplished this with a sentence or two and a tidy little diagram but the sheer pomp magnificence of a video makes it monumentally more interesting.

Instead of a standard text/photo “About Me” page — why not produce a gangsta rap video to tell your life story? That may be extreme but that’s the point! Do something normal but in extraordinary ways to shake things up. Usability theories are centered on making something easier to use. However, if you can figure out how to make something more difficult but more interesting it may be worth it to risk connecting with your audience better.

http://www.davidairey.com/what-is-rss/

#3 — Nice to Meet You. Again.

Mature websites may have taken years to get to where they are now, slowly building and growing with every added piece of content. It only reasons that newer members of your community may not be familiar with your past brilliance. Why leave it up to them to stumble onto your old content in a search or list somewhere? Take the initiative to introduce your content and your website properly to your new viewers. Point them to your most poignant and relevant posts. They’ll appreciate it and understand the significance of where your website has been and where it’s going.

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/ALAprimer/

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Inspiration, Tips, Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.