Getting into the flow with 500px

A while ago, photo sharing site 500px.com launched their new interface. Where Flickr hasn’t updated their interface for years (that’s decades in internet time), it’s nice to see 500px set an example of where things might be going in the future of online photo sharing. The new interface looks decidedly fresh and has a couple of things I really like:

Flow

500px took a good look at what makes for a compelling presentation for images and came up with “flow”. Just like Facebook’s timeline, it’s based on the idea that a stream of information doesn’t necessarily look very compelling when presented in a straightforward grid or list. Instead, they use a dynamic layout that shows images in different sizes and aspect ratios. In this format, you get a nice presentation of your own images mixed with the ones you liked. But it doens’t stop there, which brings us to the next topic...

Curation

Online photo sharing is great, but there’s always the question of how to find photographers and images you really like among the millions of mediocre uploads. There has to be some mechanism to filter the good stuff from the rest. And not just the good stuff in general, but the stuff that’s good according to your personal taste.

Click to read more ...

Sharing the experience

A few days ago we lauched HDtravel, a new online magazine that features our favourite travel experiences in large photos and high definition videos. The idea is to present the stories with a personal touch and to create an uncluttered experience in order to create visual and emotional impact.

Designing the interface

One of the most important considerations when designing the interface was that it shouldn’t get in the way of the experience. The flow of the story shouldn’t be interrupted by the user having to click on images to see larger versions. Nor should users be distracted by other information on the page. Ideally, I wanted the interface to have an app-like experience, focussing on one thing at a time. This would also make it intuitive to use on iPads and other mobile devices.

I came up with a clean layout that displays large images and video in a continuous horizontal row across the screen. In theory it would have been possible to have each photo or video fill the whole browser window, but that would create too much of a slideshow feel. When looking at one piece of the story, I wanted the next and previous pieces to be partially visible in order to create context and visual flow.

Click to read more ...

Mercedes-Benz interactive films

Mercedes-Benz recently released a couple of interactive films on their website, featuring their SLK and C-Class Coupe models. Although they are sometime struggling to bridge the gap between creating engaging entertainment and communicating information about the cars, I have to say the films are cinematically quite beautiful. The C-Class Coupe film is modelled after Hollywood-style action thrillers, whereas the SLK film is a road movie featuring... you, the viewer, stuck in the desert, when a beautiful and mysterious stranger pulls up in her fancy SLK.

From a user experience point of view I'm always on a fence with interactive movies. It has to do with storytelling. A good story needs a storyteller, who skillfully guides you through the twists and turns of the narrative. Introducing user input always makes me feel I might not be getting the best experience, the best version of the story. The point-of-view style cinematography in the SLK movie on the other hand is interesting and does kind of draw you into the action, making the interaction aspect feel more natural.

Click to read more ...