So it seems that IKEA has launched a new site pertaining to their kitchens. Of course its flashy and all glitzy. I found this by visiting Stephen Gates Blog(http://www.stephengates.com/Blog/), which even though his personal site is terrible, what he reviews and talks about has is interesting. I'll post his comments below:
IKEA has launched the next installment in their dream kitchen online experience. The original version that looked like a middle class version of the Matrix let you spin in a 360 degree arc moving between different frozen scenes and kitchens. The new version keeps the same simple control scheme of letting you one of two ways but this time instead of a circle you are moving along a linear path through the scenes. This way at any point you can turn around and go back the way you came only from the opposite point of view. Unlike the previous version the scenes are now separated by you having to fly through kaleidoscope style product montages.
For me the comparison between the two versions of the site is interesting because even though the control scheme is the same the change to the linear format makes it feel very confined and not nearly as engaging. In the latest version you are also much more aware that you are just scrubbing back and forth through a video because the transitions between the scenes aren't as clever and seamless. It's always hard if not impossible to follow up a successful site with one that is just as good and innovative but you leave this experience wishing IKEA would have found the next great interactive idea instead of trying to relive past glory.
So he makes some good points. I never viewed the old version as he has but from viewing this version I agree that the navigation is very confining and linear. The linearity of it is a good thing when dealing with static interaction but when presenting it in such a dynamic format you lose the user immediately in my opinion. Stephen's description of
...leave this experience wishing IKEA would have found the next great interactive idea instead of trying to relive past gloryis very profound in my opinion. It shows that with interactivity people seem to be expecting better things each time and that the old, which could have been perfect, is not always the best solution because it just worked.
This brings me to a question I want you all to answer. In interaction design, what do you define as a good balance between that next great step forward and the undeniable delivery of content?
3 comments:
For what we have for where we are I think we should turn to Paula Abdul for some sound advice...
I take-2 steps forward
I take-2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know-it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
It certainly sounds like Ikea has taken 2 steps back. Flashy videos and pseudo 3-d web spaces are "so last year" and it all seems a bit gratuitous considering Ikea sells plastic, particle board and foam. I guess the most exciting thing about this is that our internet world is only almost about to change and that the next great thing hasn't hit yet. Retail shopping and product simulations in virtual worlds or shopping on the wii?
okay, so some nice things before i make some criticisms. the idea is neat, no doubt. is it the best thing for selling something, probably not. visually appealing. "artistic photography" okay cool... but what about the damn kitchens. every transition seems to be made from some sort of catastrophe. whether it's a cake spilling, or overflowing fondue... it's distracting. even more, zooming into some chick's chest to move into the accessories advertisements (which make me feel like sonic the hedgehog in a bonus level). i found myself frustrated that i had to navigate linearly. and why is the "eco friendly" shit at the end? is that supposed to appeal to a certain demographic? i think it's a bit much to sell something. i don't feel compelled to buy anything actually. though i never really had a love for ikea products in the first place, which might be part of the problem. i think a QTVR like thing would be better. i can't "look around" and i'm definitely distracted by all of the noise going on in the images. who the hell plays frisbee in their kitchen while making food?
awesome idea for a visually interesting photo zooming widgit. not so good for selling kitchens. maybe if they had interactive objects in the images. if i stop zooming, i could hover over a product like a plate or pan or glass and get info... that might be useful.
oh, and the music... fuck you ikea. i'll decide what's cool and how loud to turn up my volume.
i hate everything. i have serious problems.
I did view the old Ikea Kitchen set up and it was a lot like a 3D animation blue print type of a tool. It was a good idea in theory as is this new application but the execution was far off the mark. Since ikea displays their products in showrooms the idea of exploring a room and having products selectable is a great way to simulate a shopping experience but this was just a user controlled commercial. They could have just put some play stop and rewind buttons on it and ended up with the same result. I do see this as a step backward because the concept of a simulated shopping experiences is a promising one. There is so much that could be done with it by giving the user more functionality(instead of static images) and less dancing flatware.
another site to check out is Wrangler. it's flashy but definitely a step in the right direction.
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