The Evolution of a Button
If you're familiar with my Elements of Design showcase then you know that I am a firm believer in the saying "the devil's in the details."
Seemingly small decision choices — from search boxes to heading typography — can make all the difference to your overall site design, the user experience, and, if you're an online retailer, your bottom line.
Along these lines, GrokDotCom has an interesting article on the evolution of the Amazon add-to-cart button, which also includes a couple of great screenshots of a very early Amazon.com.
I also like the idea that the author has been taking screenshots of Amazon (and presumably other sites) over many years, building up a library of examples of how their interaction design process works. I've often thought about doing this with some of my favorite sites, but have yet to do so.
On second thoughts, perhaps this would be a good idea for a new online service — one that automatically takes screenshots of a web page on a timed basis, stores them for you or sends them to your favorite online storage account, and enables you to edit the screenshots and make slideshows to show how the page in question has evolved over time.
It looks like no one took me up on my last idea — any takers for this one?
Posted on: February 27, 2008 | 8 Comments
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8 Comments Posted
Well there's always the way way back machine
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.amazon.com
1. Posted by John Braine on February 27, 2008
John — that's true, but my experience is that the way back machine doesn't always (rarely?) capture a page completely, so the results are usually disappointing.
2. Posted by Christian Watson on February 27, 2008
I find this with the wayback machine too.
3. Posted by David on February 28, 2008
Where do we find these way back machines? it would be incredibly handy for me and my business?
Nick
4. Posted by Nick - SEO on February 29, 2008
I’ve been doing a lot of research on different web designers lately and as a former designer turned business owner I’m amazed at just how much has really changed in the past 8 years. The buttons we place on our site can be the difference in whether or not visitors take notice and click. I like your train of thought here. I need to find an <a href=orange county web hosting company that thinks like you do.
5. Posted by Derek on February 29, 2008
I've found the same issues with Way Back. Additionally, the archive only captures the home page, so design details of other key elements, such as the shopping cart, are not captured.
I think this is a great idea. Great design is always based on reinventing and improving on the past.
6. Posted by Austin Texas Website Designer on February 29, 2008
Hmm, I wonder how difficult it would be to write a PHP script to keep a record of selected sites for you. It's a good idea - done correctly it could prove to be a very effective marketing tool.
7. Posted by Matt Saunders on March 11, 2008
I do really believe in that... Agree
8. Posted by Erickson Empasis on March 19, 2008