Why Make A Better Slideshow?

Every runway and fashion show written up in Vogue and The New York Times comes with a basic, trusy slideshow. You click through, see what's new, and then you leave.

These static slideshows aren't worth sharing, nor do they don't lend themselves to buying the products they're featuring.

There're a few big missed opportunities here.

To make slideshows both more useful and more fun - and worth sharing - I turned to the story of instant cake mix. The story goes that in the 1930s instant cake mix came out and it was a tremendous flop. The invention was perfect - just add water - and the cakes came out perfect every time. But no sales. After some user research General Mills found that home cooks didn't feel they could call the cake their own if they just added water. "Sorry honey, no cake tonight." So, their research team made one small, essential tweak transformed instant cake mix from a commerical flop to one of the world's most successful products: adding an egg. When home cooks added water and an egg they felt it was their cake. The new mix gave them the same convenience and added the freedom to take credit for the perfect cake.

Similarly, the slideshow above (modeled after OpeningCeremony.us) gives the viewer the feeling that they're creating something just by clicking. They've created their own "mix," which they can share with their friends. They're not just passively watching a slideshow, they're creathing new looks that deserve to be shared.

It's also just way more fun.

What do you think? Email me.