Now, don’t get us wrong, we are not condoning the use of big flashing ‘special offer’ banners or animated dancing characters here at Destylio; however we do acknowledge the amount of impact subtle interactive elements adds to the overall user experience.  The web is such an evolving and exciting platform, so why not exploit this by adding depth and interest to websites?

Print media is a whole different ball game, what you design is what is going to stay on that paper for forever and a day, this is something we have to accept. But the web lets us make things visually ‘change’ dependent on user interaction, so this is something that should be embraced. Why have a dull, flat canvas when you could have an intriguing decoupage!

Hover states are one of the great ways in which subtle interactivity can be incorporated into web design, but it isn’t just to make things look pretty. These little hints, as a user rolls over and ‘activates’ a specific area, help guide them through their experience on your website, improving the usability greatly. They always know where they are on the page, and more importantly, they always know what is clickable and what isn’t. How annoying is it when you think something clicks somewhere only to find that, in fact, it doesn’t!

Now, in what ways can hover states work? Well, there could be introduction of a new background colour, the item that is being hovered over could ‘move’ slightly (shudder or lean one way or the other), text could change colour or a whole new image could appear (though be wary of load time issues with that last suggestion!). There’s so much that can be done and it really makes a massive difference to the end result!

So, when you are getting a website design, consider these points. If you are presented with a website that is flat and dull as dishwater from a designer, then contact Destylio today and let us help you!