Pinterest Web Design Influence

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The website Pinterest has been inspiring website design. For those who are not aware, Pinterest is a website where users can bookmark (or pin) web pages by selecting an image to represent what the page is about. Web pages and blogs that feature recipes and fashion are prime examples of content which are regularly pinned and then organised by the user. The user can view the pins (images), which are arranged in a grid layout, such as the screenshot below.

pinterestboards.jpg

This grid layout is quick and easy to digest, but it only works for websites that are not text-heavy. Users can flip through images much more quickly than they can read text, and a good photograph speaks more than text ever could.

For e-commerce websites that focus on products where imagery is important, this layout works extremely well. One example of a website that has emphasis on photographs of the product is Etsy. Like Pinterest, Etsy features product imagery in a grid layout. It also allows users to create and organise 'treasuries' where similar products can be arranged and shared with the Etsy community, similar to the idea of "boards" in Pinterest. (See the screenshot below to see an example of a user's treasury.)

While Etsy has been around longer than Pinterest, I can see where Pinterest may have been inspired by some of these ideas. Both websites also have similar user demographics, so this may be one reason why Pinterest has gained many users. However, while the websites both use tiled images, the main difference is that the design in Pinterest is responsive and Etsy's isn't.

etsy-tresury1.jpg


The dynamic/responsive grid layout responds to the size of the browser window; the images are arranged and rearranged depending on the browser size. To achieve the dynamic grid effect similar to Pinterest, developers can use a variety of Javascript plugins: 

  • jQuery Masonry: http://masonry.desandro.com/
  • Isotope: http://isotope.metafizzy.co/
  • jQuery Wookmark: http://www.wookmark.com/jquery-plugin

I've recently learned that a high profile website (auction site eBay) is being redesigned to use the Pinterest grid layout effect to showcase its products. This may lead the way for other e-commerce websites will start to do the same. Although the new eBay design is not launched yet, it will be in the coming weeks (1). I am curious to see this. Whereas many of the photographs on Pinterest look professional and really show off the items/products, eBay suffers in this area as the average seller does not know how to take a good photograph to show the product that they are selling.

Have you seen any websites that remind you of the style of Pinterest, or do you have an opinion or comments on this new style of user experience? Write a comment below to let me know what you think.



1) Banks, Tom. eBay unveils new look site. http://www.designweek.co.uk/news/ebay-unveils-new-look-site/3035394.article [12 October, 2012].

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2 Comments

Amazing blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.

Hello, i love pinterest. Thanks for article.

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