Process

The initial idea was to create a website that can only be viewed in darkness.

The first design used the brightness level captured from the camera as the background colour, with the company name visible only on a darker background.

This lets users focus on the interaction that guides them to unlock the website - by reducing the brightness of their surroundings, with an indication bar near the bottom of the website.

Problem

Although the design could express the company spirit of breaking the rules and being imaginative, the interaction mechanism of using the user’s camera to detect brightness was obstructive due to the browser’s prompt. Without a sufficient background stories, the experience lacked the motivation for the users to continue to engage with the website.

Solution

After researching different possibilities, we discovered that 3D interactions could better guide users into the idea. This strikes a balance between expressing company spirit and usability.

3D interactions also bring out the concept of comparing creativity to the universe, and the idea of viewing a website in darkness was transformed into seeing the details of a work in darkness. This implies that every piece of work is like a planet, where its full story can only be seen without light.

White blocks that represent works were designed to be animated when hovered on their category, based on different natures. Brand-related categories have the motion of growth, and short-term projects have lively moving imagery.

Reflection

The main objective was not only to express the company spirit but also to attract corresponding customers. Therefore, although the site’s usability could be improved,the direction of being more experimental did attract and intrigue clients, because it was designed to be imaginative rather than being a well-polished template. The lesson learned here was that the essence of design is actually communication.

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