Archive for January, 2014

Parallax Scrolling Websites: What are they and why are they useful?

January 29th, 2014 by Vincent Lai

Parallax Design is set to be one of the biggest trends in web development in 2014. But what is it exactly? And why should we bother? Long story short, its all about impact.

You may not know exactly what “parallax scrolling” means, but if you have been surfing around the web lately, chances are you have experienced it, and it has probably made an impression on you whether positive or negative. The term “parallax scrolling” refers to the technique used in websites where elements on the page move and shift at different rates, giving a sense of depth and interactivity to the page itself. It can be used in many different ways, and can bring a different approach to presenting your website.

Product Innovation and Communication Websites are the most likely candidates for using the Parallax Design technique.

Let’s say you are putting together a product, something that is new in the industry, or revolutionises an existing product.  You will want to show this product off, give the customers and clients something that they can visualise and drool over a little. Until recently, a detailed image gallery or annoyingly expensive short video were your only options.  A couple of images supplied too little information, and an extensive video sometimes felt too arduous. Organisations have recently used the new Parallax technique in very creative ways, to bring their products to life.

In the Saucony website (http://community.saucony.com/kinvara3/) they use parallax design to show the construction and science of how their shoes are crafted and constructed. As you scroll down the page, the shoe moves and rotates, adding parts and informing the user of the science behind each piece of the product. Added to this is the dynamically shifting background which subtlety follows the movement of the mouse. All in all, this design is very creative and an effective way to showcase their product.

In the Bagigia website (http://www.bagigia.com/), the creators of the leather bag have used the parallax technique to give viewers a 360 degree view of their unique design. This method allows them to show off their special product, and explain the thought process behind the design. It leaves nothing hidden, so that the customer has a better grasp of what it truly looks like, instead of a couple of still photographs against a stagnant white backdrop.

The other use, as mentioned above, is for communication websites. In my previous blog post, I discussed the use of full bleed images for higher visual impact. This technique coupled with Parallax design can take the impact of your website to new levels, and help you outshine your competitors. The best application of this is for websites that exist purely to impart your company information, where you don’t need more complex functionality or design elements.

A communication website that has used Parallax to very well is http://unfold.no/.  They have cleverly used the layering effect combined with a looping scroll to create what feels like an endless website.

For Contact Point we have created a Parallax micro-website for our design portfolio which showcases some of our work. We have incorporated the dynamic page scrolling links and a layered approach to our imagery whilst using horizontal image scrollers to present our work.

Next time you are contemplating refreshing your website, consider the Parallax technique and whether it can enhance your website visitor’s experience.  I’d love to help create the design!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Social is now Normal Media

January 21st, 2014 by Heather Maloney

An article written by Brian Solis just over a year ago described social media being the new normal. I’ve been banging on about social media for a few years now, but in the last 6 months or so, I’ve noticed a change in Australia… people (media and the general public, young and old) now include social media in their conversations as a matter of fact, rather than as if it’s the latest cool thing, or as if to say “we’re on it too, but we don’t know how to use it”.

There are definitely areas, and segments, where social media proliferates more than others. We’re seeing it feature heavily in:

commerce – research for products and services, reviews, recommendations, complaints
promoting causes – both in the not for profit sector, and grass roots causes such as in response to tragedies
news – both personal updates about life, as well as discussion about historical events as they happen
events – promotion of events and then during events the audience / attendees engage in deeper involvement in live events, TV and radio programs using social media tools
education and innovation – information sharing and collaboration / discussion around specific topics
leisure / games – my mother who is 30+ years older than me recently relented and signed up for Facebook in order to participate in the online game, Candy Crush, with her sisters and she now shares more on Facebook than I do.

An interesting example has occurred recently in the estate where I live. The estate has a body corporate with a moderated online forum. The moderation takes days sometimes to allow posts on the forum to appear after submission… and if there’s any concern about the content of the posts (i.e. they don’t say the “right” types of things) then the posts may not make it, or be delayed for weeks. So residents have taken matters into their own hands, and setup a group on Facebook where they discuss issues. It’s of course not moderated, and therefore posts are instant and engagement is arguably deeper.

I know some of you are still sceptical about social media. No matter what your business is, you need to be thinking about where and how you can get engaged in the [not so] new place where the relevant conversation is happening. It has the added potential benefit of boosting your search engine optimisation.

We’ve recently added a relatively new Facebook feature to the Note Couture ecommerce website, which allows comments to be added by visitors alongside a product (in this case an illustration which you can add to personalise stationery) within the website. These comments will also simultaneously appear in their Facebook timeline, and are therefore not anonymous, giving them greater credibility. Of course, we’ve configured the Facebook Comments integration to include a thumbnail of the product into the Facebook timeline, which will encourage the commenter’s friends to click through and visit the website. To close the loop, Note Couture can moderate the comments that are added using this mechanism, to deal quickly with inappropriate content. You can see an example here: I love this illustration!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Subscribe to our monthly

Contactpoint Email News

Our enews is sent out approximately monthly, and contains information on latest digital technologies, and how these can be used to help your organisation grow.

To subscribe, simply fill in your details below: