Innovative Thinking
Innovative thinking entails allowing your mind to think in new and exciting ways. Ever-changing technologies and design methods are paving the way for fresh, out-of-the-box design solutions. These innovative solutions can excel a project above expectations and allow it to stand out from the competition. When deciding what methods to use in developing creative design solutions, it takes courage to veer from the norm and present a finished product that is overtly different than what has been previously seen. While the idea of creating something different is exciting, there is the risk of it being “too” different, preventing it from being perceived well.
Developing new ways for viewers to interact with websites is a challenge that requires visionary thinking. People visit a multitude of websites throughout the day, so what can be done to make them remember a specific website above the rest? Improving how people interact with websites increases website traffic, and can grow a business. A successful interactive website requires good design and relies on high quality images, colors, and typography to first create an atmosphere favorable to full engagement. Adding video, as a background or embedded on a page, engages viewers from the start and including clickable links helps to keep their attention. These tools can be used to enhance the interaction between a website and its viewers.
Concert Event Website
Interactive Menu
When the photo of a menu item is clicked,
nutritional information will appear
With further development of the website, the landing page would feature the Rockin' for Sea Turtles animated logo instead of the static logo. This is another design trend that is innovative and would elevate the design above project expectations.
A website was developed for the concert event Rockin' for Sea Turtles to provide information about sea turtles and the benefit concert being held to help with their plight. Creating a live website using modern design trends elevated the final design solution past its project requirements. The trends used include: using video as the background, having a simple landing page, using bold fonts and bright colors, and incorporating interactive elements. Explore the website below.
The Rockin' for Sea Turtles website features a landing page with a video of a sea turtle swimming as the background. Music from one of the performing bands plays when the page loads.
The Rockin' for Sea Turtles website's Artist Profile page features interactive elements such as hover boxes. When the viewer hovers over an artist or group, their information appears on top of the artist's photo.
With further development of the website, the option to listen to a music sample of the artist or group when their name is clicked would be included.
The menu created for Crustaceans Lobster & Seafood House would be featured as a flip book on the restaurant's website. Creating a flip book is an innovative method that enables visitors to the website to view the menu as if they were sitting at a table in Crustaceans. The creation of the flip book elevated the project by providing a unique design solution that allows more interactivity between the restaurant website and the target audience. View the flip book below.
The menu for Crustaceans Lobster & Seafood House (above) gives visitors to the website a unique experience, providing an interactive flip book menu instead of a point-and-click menu found on the websites of popular seafood restaurants such as Red Lobster (below). The differences in online menus are apparent when the two are compared.
With further development of the Crustaceans website, a cutting-edge interactive feature within the flip book would be added that allows the viewer to click on a photo of a dish to either view its nutritional information, a video of the dish being prepared, or a video of the dish being brought to the table.
When the photo of a menu item is clicked, a video of that item being prepared or being brought to the table will play.
