P.O.V.
www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/90miles/
"THE JOURNEY ACROSS 90 MILES" is a Flash mini-site for the documentary 90 Miles that aired on P.O.V., a PBS showcase for independent non-fiction films. P.O.V. asked us to create a site for the film that offers facts and statistics about immigrants making the treacherous boat trip from Cuba to Miami. A fact like “Number of Cubans who attempted to cross the Straights of Florida in 2001” is presented in a way that encourages users to click buttons to find its corollary answer “Percentage who succeeded: 65%”.
Adding Mystery to an Interface
Creating interfaces that are obscure, hidden or surprising is counterintuitive
for us. We focus on user-oriented design and take pride in how easy it is
for users to navigate our sites and quickly find information. For this project,
however, P.O.V. requested an interface that’s mysterious and makes users
feel unsure about where they are in the site or how to find their way. To
accomplish this, we created a Flash movie with flying facts that hover out
of a foggy distance and wait for a few second for users to activate rollovers
that then expanded to offer greater detail. We also created swerving buoys
that users roll over to read feedback from the film’s viewers.