Have you ever been searching for something specific on a website and come to a dead end? Would you rather the dead end be a literal dead end (a boring unhelpful page that leads you nowhere) or a funny joke or comment that encourages you to continue browsing on the website? A custom 404 error page holds the power that can enhance your website.
Why
Why is designing a custom 404 page important? A 404-error page is something that every website contains in some way or another. To give your website more of a creative touch, you can create your own custom 404 error page. This shows character and attention to detail. The pages are a great way to direct customers to more relevant content. For example, if someone were to be looking for a specific pair of shoes on Nike that do not exist anymore, they would click a link that leads them to a 404-error page, which in Nike’s case is a redirect to the home page. That is how Nike decided to implement their custom 404 error page.
What
A custom 404 error page is a page to indicate that the user has gone off track, or found a page that does not exist anymore. Do you remember the last time you say a boring page like this? What if it had a joke on it? Would you be more inclined to like the brand more if it did? 404 error pages should be conversational or directional. Conversational in the way of a joke or something that goes along with the general flow of the website. Directional in the way that it could redirect you to the home page or show you a link to click to get back to the home page. 404 error pages are a creative way you can make your website more fun and approachable.
4 Responses
I really like how this relates to what we learned in class on the importance of brand uniqueness! Creative 404 pages can be a great way to keep the attention of the viewer even when they might find themselves frustrated when the page they want isn’t loading
This topic is really creative. I like the examples you showed of the custom 404 pages. It can be very engaging to the users, and it is neat to see relevant custom page jokes related to their offering.
I really liked reading your blog post. I think 404 error pages can be a really cool way you can be creative and turn a somewhat frustrating moment for the user and make it a little better with some humor or just being very clear and helpful. Great post!
Great job on this post, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this topic! It was very visually intriguing and engaging. I like how you pointed out the creative aspect of these pages and how they can be used to intrigue users.