UI design pattern tips: featured content

Once someone starts using your website or web application, they need to know where to go and how to get there at any point. If they can't navigate through your your application easily, you'll quickly lose them. Thus, designing effective navigation in your web application is crucial.

In this series for Creative Bloq, Chris Bank of UXPin, the UX design app, discusses the importance of navigation design patterns and details examples from some of the hottest websites and web apps today.

You can see previous posts in this series here. Meanwhile, for more examples of web design patterns, download UXPin’s free e-book, Web UI Design Patterns 2014.

The problem

The website visitor wants to know what kind of content can be created with the app.

The solution

Feature specific content front-and-centre for users without it getting lost in the mix of often time-related content. This content could be paid, popular, new, or some other important variable.

Featured content serves to show users the possibilities and helps them understand what the platform can accomplish as well as the things other users are using it for.

Sites like Airbnb, Etsy and Flickr show random content on the front page that helps users explore the site without having to make a commitment beforehand, as well as encourages existing users by helping them reach greater audiences.

On the other hand, it can also help particular pieces of content gain traction by giving it particular importance. Paid or 'featured' content can be marked as such to clarify expectations.

Words: Chris Bank

Chris Bank is the growth lead at UXPin, a UX design app that creates responsive interactive wireframes and prototypes.