Comm Arts Interactive Annual

Comm Arts Interactive Annual is out. Here's my review of the details that make this stuff awesome (or doesn't). This is the less obvious stuff that shows smart thinking.

BMW: The All-New 3

1. Polite Full-screen: The site expands to full screen, but not until you click on the lin: Just a couple of secs, but it's a nice technique to introduce the brand experience.


2. Expandable/Collapsable Nav: Again, nice, slick UI element, says "we know our users are not morons."


3. Load screens: Brand messages while your waiting to load.


4. Benefits, not features: A copywriter obvioulsy worked on the navigation (sleeker, faster, safer, etc.).

GE: Geoterra

1. Little people: There's nothing subtle about what makes this site great. It's just fun. Lots of details, but if I was going to name one I like best, it's the little people hanging out on the bottom of the interface.


2. UI Builds: No such thing as pop-up box here. Each "pop-up" has an elegant animated build to it. Really nice.


3. Washing Machine game: I don't have time for this shit. Web games that are actually fun to play. Cut it out, I got work to do.

Havaianas

1. Navigation instructions: While you're waiting for the content to load, you are given useful how-to info. In my humble opinion, one of the smartest elements of effective UI design is the effective use of copy.


2. OK, tried to use these instructions (it said drag the sandal to navigate) and what they told me to do didn't work. Piss me the hell off.


3. This site's too Flash heavy to work on my Powerbook, two thumbs down. Outta here.

Infiniti: Interactive mirrors

1. Hard to tell from these screen shots, but this technology is cool as hell for trade shows. Traction is actually partnering with Delphi Productions to create one of these kiosks right now for one of their clients. This is Minority Report stuff, kids.

Scion: Owners' Manual

1. What's great about this is not so much the creative, but that it was created to solve a business problem. Scion wanted to reduce calls to their help desk, so they created a CD-ROM as a supplement to their Owners' Manual


2. A trend here: Again, cool UI builds on new pages


3. Time labels: Whenever they have a link to a video, they show how long that video will be. Lets the user know what they're signing up for by clicking.

Nike: Jumpman23

1. Love the curtains.


2. Music: I've noticed on almost all of these sites I've been looking at, they're not afraid to use music to convey emotion. This one, however, doesn't have a shut off switch, particularly bad form here because the music qulaity was shit and really annoying.


3. Top nav: Nicely designed navigation at the top of the page, but I didn't see it. Kind of makes it useless.


4. Thumbnails: Not to be a nitpicky ass, but the thumbnail images on the Lifestyle page were obviously bitmaps they scaled down in Flash. May not be a big deal to the untrained eye, but if you do this stuff for a living, you should know better. Just lazy.

Nestea Ice

1. Each page has tons of kooky shit. Mexican wrestlers, rapping ice cube puppets. Great details all over the place


2. Rollover "Retrieve Photo" and the photo falls down.


3. Monty Python Style: Juxtaposed b-and-w photos with illustration. Just good. "Retrieve Photo" and the photo falls down.


4. Ice Polls: Little hand with wings tells you to "Select an answer" (good UI copy). When you roll over the poll options the little rollover sound says "bling."


5. Death or Fresno?: Made me laugh.


6. Baby got back: When you roll over the back button it says "baby got back."

To be continued...