Deconstructing FWA

If your awareness of what's possible on the web is limited to Google, Facebook and Hotmail, maybe you should check out the FWA. In this fickle, what's-next driven world, the FWA has managed to remain the end-all, be-all web gallery since its inception. Maybe it's that they have awarded a Site of the Day every day since 2000. Maybe it's that they have a discerning Hall of Fame selection of interactive firms that really does just showcase the best of the best (Are you listening, Major League Baseball?) Or maybe it's because they spell 'Favourite' with a 'u.'

But despite all it's super-shiny charm, the sites aren't always as functional as they are flamboyant. Even if the FWA is old hat to you, here are just a few tips to make the FWA a practical resource for the rest of us and not just some place where you curse at slow load times and shake your head at the mind-blowing budgets that must have justified them.

1. Read the descriptions

Sure, it sounds basic, but look for words like "create," "navigate," "share," "guide" and the like to clue you into sites which have made providing a unique user-led experience the designer's main objective.

Examples: Red Issue, MSNBC Newsreader

2. Use the filter

Drill down what you want to search by category, award or date. We recommend first looking through the Architecture and Photography sections. Usually what makes these sites award-winning isn't some budget-blowing special effect or video montage, but an engaging navigation system, original reveal or elegant transition technique. In other words, something you can use as a realistic source of inspiration.
















Examples: Bowen Studios, Peruvian Wharf, Gudrun Gudrun






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3. Use the dock

There are so many sites to go through (2,752 at the time of this posting), when you do find a gem that strikes a chord, add it to your dock. If you don't have time to look at sites, you can always add them to your dock based on the description or brand (or your gut instinct) and check them out later.

4. Be prepared for load times

Don't let impossibly slow load times get you down. Go ahead and do something else (I don't know...work?) while that site loads. Again, your budget may never allow you to create the wild movie-set feel that the site shows, but the way the site moves, the video loads, the gameplay is designed or transitions are created may provide just the inspiration you were looking for.

And when the site finally has loaded, shut Pandora off, close out of any large applications and clean up whatever else might slow your computer down, so you can embrace the full experience with as little buffering as possible.

Examples: Milk's Get the Glass, Pepsi's MaxFan

5. Get it for the articles

Like any sexy publication, FWA often garners more attention for its pictures than its words. But take a gander at the articles and interviews. Especially the interviews - they are very well done, providing genuine glimpses into what the top owners and designers are thinking and what they wish they could do more of, what they can't wait to see next and what didn't work the last time. Plus, you'll gain great insights about where technology is headed without the tedious load time.

6. Pump up the volume

Most of the sites on FWA have left no stone unturned in terms of creating complete sensory experiences. Don't miss out on any of them.

Examples: Swedish Armed Forces, Victor Taba, The Singing Beertap

7. Reality + fantasy = cool

Another quick scan technique is looking for images where photos or video is combined with illustrations or other graphics. These sites always seem to have gone that extra mile in creating their own world for users to play in. And oftentimes, the budget required to pull off these fantastic effects is pretty realistic.

Examples: Thank you begins with a T, Crumpler

8. Find the game sites

Gamer or not, you would be remiss if you didn't check out the winners that fall under this category. Look for brands or products you recognize. Chances are good that they have created a new way to play with their product. Use these sites as inspiration for how to hand the reins of your product over to online visitors.

Examples: Smart Car, VW Snake

9. Experiment

In the filter, there's a category called 'Experimental.' This is always worth a look. A lot of times, these are mashups using existing social media sites (like Flickr) or take digital elements we all possess and present them in a new and random way.

Examples: Flickr Time, Spam Recycler

10. Skip the movie sites (for now)

Your time is precious and the most common load-time offenders are sites for new movies. Usually what makes these sites favourites are the impressive graphics from the movie and the way the characters' world has been turned into your interactive playground. And while it makes for some pretty awesome eye candy, it's not really showing you anything that can inspire your next interactive endeavor. That being said, there have been some movie sites with incredible user-generated content that should not be overlooked.

Example: The Simpsons

11. Apply what you've learned

Use the mental notes you've taken and look at your own site. Are there any ways you can improve the user experience, give them more control or bring your brand to them in a new, exciting format? Do you have an event coming up where you can unveil a fun wrinkle to how customers can become fans? How does any of what you've seen translate into mobile or social media? Think about it a little and you just might get a little yellow strip in the corner of your next endeavor.

12. Forget FWA

Like anything web-based, there is more than one resource for discovering what's out there. And if you limit yourself to any one site, you'll miss out on some really outstanding interactive experiences like NEC's beautiful ecological effort or a humbling experience from The Hear and Be Heard Fund. (It's cached now, so you might have missed it already.)

So as you explore the World Wide Web, use resources as walking staffs, not divining rods.

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