Reading vs. Watching

Apparently, I’m into making big reaches this week to connect things outside of DDA to topics for blogs. Consider my dog show post from yesterday.

Anyway, us copywriters were quickly discussing our Valentine’s Day plans earlier today, when the idea of seeing a movie came up. I mentioned that I had recently seen Slumdog Millionaire, and was highly recommending it to my co-workers. I mentioned that the first portion of the movie (which is set in India) used subtitles, since the characters spoke Hindi. Then I realized that I really couldn’t remember how long the subtitles lasted, or when the transition to spoken English took place in the film.

Personally, I took that as another sign of just how entertaining the movie really was. I’ve seen a few foreign films that dragged along and featured uninteresting characters in boring places. During those movies, reading subtitles turns into an active chore, something that you actually have to consciously remember to do in order to follow along.

But then there are movies like Slumdog Millionaire, where the characters are so interesting, the plot is so unique, and the setting is so engaging, that you don’t even realize that you can’t understand a single spoken word and are reading little white letters on the bottom of the screen. In fact, the actors in this movie are so expressive and engaging that you would probably be able to follow along even without the subtitles.

In the world of website design and development, the same kind of idea can exist (bear with me). If you land on a boring website that looks just like 500 other sites and is uninformative, then you consider it a chore to find exactly what you are looking for. And once you find it (if you do at all) you vow to never come back. But if you land on a site that makes you say “Wow!”, features integrated video, animation, and an easy-to-use menu structure, then you don’t consider it work at all. You may find what you’re looking for, or you may even get sidetracked by another feature or even more useful information. No matter what, you spend much more time on the site, and are very likely to make a return visit.

At DDA, we understand how important it is to engage web users — just look at our massive and interactive site at www.zeroonezero.com. Whether it’s a medical or healthcare website, a healthcare IT application, or a traditional ecommerce site, DDA has had years of experience designing and developing sites just like it. Our programmers, graphic designers, copywriters, animators, videographers, and search engine optimization (SEO) specialists never use pre-made templates, meaning that your site will be uniquely yours. It will not only be informative and useful, but also engaging, entertaining, and visually stimulating.

And now, since it’s Thursday, you won’t have to deal with my bizarre comparisons for three whole days. But be sure to check back on Monday — I may see a new movie this weekend…

Entry by: Steve