Jakob has a new study/theory. It invovles decorating your web site for holidays/special occasions. You know what I’m talking about. Google is famous for it.
According to Mr. Nielsen, there are two reasons. (general theme: to appeal to users as human beings) One is to appear current and up-to-date. I like that. Throw a wreath up on the site after Thanksgiving so people will think you’re with it. Sure. Gotcha. Follow the physical surroundings. (I’m taking all white away from this site after Labor Day)
Second is to increase joy of use.
The key to acheiving this without bothering the users? Low Key. Keep it simple. You DO NOT want to get in the way of whatever the user is trying to do. A simple reminder of whatever you’re decorating for should be enough to achieve the two goals, and still let the user go on and acheive whatever. Put a Santa Hat on your logo, and get on with your life.
I am certainly not a Jakob follower, but this I agree with. I hate decorations, but the reasoning behind it are sound. Dammit. Now I have to put a Santa Hat on our Logo.
Tagged As Design, Info Architecture, Strategy, Usability, Usability
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Posted at 12:00 PM