Author: Ohad Aviv

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Noomo Agency
A boutique design agency specializing in creating interactive digital experiences

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Creating a deep connection with the audience, differentiating from competitors, and crafting memorable experiences are crucial for brands today to capture users’ attention. We are on the brink of the extended reality world, where it’s more important than ever for brands to be prepared to meet their users where they are.

Mixed reality, AR experiences, and 3D immersive websites help brands to move one step closer to the future and to their audiences.

Brand storytelling websites.

Immersive brand storytelling websites use rich media, like video, 3D animation, and AR, to tell compelling brand stories, significantly enhancing user engagement and emotional connection.

Immersive 3D web experiences significantly impact user engagement and conversion metrics across various platforms. Such experiences can effectively hold visitors’ attention, making content more memorable and engaging through storytelling, personalization, and interactive features.

1. Increased User Engagement: Immersive 3D content on websites can increase user engagement time by up to 70%, keeping users on the site longer as they interact with the content.
2. Higher Conversion Rates: 3D experiences have been shown to lead to higher conversion rates. For example, personalized 3D product builders can facilitate a more engaging shopping experience, directly influencing customers’ buying decisions. Websites incorporating 3D experiences have seen conversion rates improve by up to 40%. Read more How 3D configurators help brands increase engagement and improve user experience.
3. Reduced Bounce Rates: Enhanced interactive and 3D content can reduce bounce rates by up to 20–30%. The engaging nature of 3D content makes users more likely to explore further rather than leaving after viewing just one page​
4. Enhanced User Satisfaction: The innovative use of 3D and interactive content meets users’ growing expectations for dynamic and responsive web experiences. This not only satisfies users but often exceeds their expectations, enhancing overall satisfaction and promoting positive user experiences.
5. Repeat Visits: Implementing immersive 3D elements can increase repeat visits by 25%, as users return to re-engage with the dynamic content

Microsites for a brand activation

Using microsites for a brand activation can significantly enhance user engagement and conversion metrics compared to more conventional marketing methods.

Check this immersive example.

Microsites create a focused and immersive environment tailored to specific campaigns or product launches, leading to various measurable benefits:

1. Increased Engagement: Microsites typically achieve higher engagement rates, with users spending an average of 50% more time on microsites compared to traditional web pages. This is due to the focused and interactive content that keeps users engaged longer.
2. Higher Conversion Rates: Due to their targeted nature, microsites often see higher conversion rates as they are optimized for specific actions, whether it’s signing up for an event, downloading a resource, or making a purchase. The streamlined user journey on microsites minimizes distractions, directing visitors toward conversion goals more efficiently. Campaign-focused microsites can see conversion improvements of up to 35–40% compared to standard pages.
3. Improved Lead Generation: For microsites aimed at lead generation, conversion rates from visitor to lead can often double that of general websites. This is particularly true when microsites are used for specific events or product launches, where they can convert up to 20% of visitors into leads.
4. Enhanced Brand Awareness and Reach: Microsites designed for brand campaigns can increase visitor numbers by up to 300% during the campaign period. This spike is often fueled by the novelty and uniqueness of the microsite experience, which encourages sharing across social platforms.
5. Metrics Tracking and Optimization: Microsites allow for precise tracking of engagement metrics, from page views and session duration to user interactions and conversion rates. This data can be instrumental in optimizing marketing strategies and improving future campaigns based on real user feedback and behavior.

Interactive experiences for activation campaigns

Interactive experiences in activation campaigns, especially at events such as booths and exhibitions, significantly enhance engagement and improve campaign metrics. These activations are designed to not only attract attention but also deeply involve the audience, leading to:

Increased Booth Traffic: Interactive booths typically see higher foot traffic compared to standard booths. Studies have shown that booths with interactive elements can increase visitor numbers by 30–50%, as they offer a more engaging and dynamic experience.

1. Enhanced Engagement: The interactivity of such booths significantly increases user engagement. Engagement metrics, such as time spent at the booth and interactions per visitor, often double when compared to less interactive setups.
2. Higher Lead Generation: With increased engagement, the lead generation rates also see a substantial boost. Interactive booths can achieve a 40–60% increase in lead capture, as they often involve some form of data exchange as part of the interaction, such as scanning a QR code or entering details on a touchscreen.
3. Improved Conversion Rates: The direct involvement and personalized experience provided by interactive experiences often lead to higher conversion rates post-event. Follow-up sales or inquiries can increase by up to 20–30% from leads generated at interactive booths.
4. Greater Brand Recall and Loyalty: Interactive experiences are memorable and can significantly enhance brand recall. Participants are more likely to remember the brand and have a positive association, which can increase customer loyalty and advocacy.
5. Valuable Feedback and Data Collection: Interactive experiences provide a unique opportunity to gather real-time feedback and data about customer preferences and behaviors. This data is invaluable for refining marketing strategies and tailoring future campaigns to better meet the needs of the target audience.

Using Interactive Websites for Product or Service Presentation

The way in which a product or service is presented has a direct influence on sales. Microsites that present the product are much more effective than videos or PowerPoint presentations for several reasons:

1. Increased Engagement: Interactive presentations can lead to much higher engagement rates. By incorporating elements such as live polls, quizzes, and interactive diagrams, these presentations keep the audience actively participating rather than passively listening. Typically, interactive presentations see an engagement increase of 40–60%, as they require and encourage audience interaction throughout the session.
2. Enhanced Retention: The interactive aspect of these presentations significantly improves information retention. Studies show that interactive learning environments can increase retention rates by up to 75%, compared to traditional presentation methods where retention rates hover around 20–30%. This is largely due to the “learning by doing” approach that interactive presentations offer.
3. Reduced Drop-offs: In settings where presentations are critical to conversion, such as webinars or professional workshops, interactive elements can reduce attendee drop-offs by up to 35%. The interactive nature helps maintain interest and motivation throughout the session, keeping participants from leaving early.
4. Improved Satisfaction: Satisfaction levels among participants are notably higher in interactive presentations. This is due to the personalized nature of the learning experience, where participants can influence the direction and focus of the presentation based on their responses and interests.
5. Through hands-on product demos, customers gain a more profound understanding of products, enhancing their confidence in purchase decisions.

AR experiences for brand activation campaigns

AR experiences leverage immersive technology to enhance user engagement, increase conversions, and provide entertaining interactions, making them invaluable in digital marketing strategies. They create more interactive and memorable connections with customers, leading to increased brand loyalty and sales.

Enhanced Engagement: AR campaigns typically increase user engagement by as much as 70–80%. Users spend more time interacting with AR features due to the novelty and immersive nature of the technology.

1. Improved Brand Recall: Studies have shown that AR experiences can boost brand recall by up to 70%. This is significantly higher compared to traditional digital advertisements or non-AR interactive experiences.
2. Increased Conversion Rates: Brands utilizing AR for product demonstrations and interactions report increases in conversion rates ranging from 20–40%. The interactive, lifelike experience provided by AR helps reduce the uncertainty in online shopping environments.
3. Viral Potential: AR activations have a high potential for viral sharing, with some campaigns seeing share rates increase by more than 50% when compared to non-AR content. The unique and engaging nature of AR content makes it more likely to be shared across social networks.
4. Data Collection and Insights: Brands leveraging AR can achieve deeper insights into customer behavior, with metrics on user interactions improving the accuracy of customer engagement data by up to 30%. This helps in fine-tuning marketing strategies and improving future AR experiences.

These advantages make immersive 3D websites and interactive experiences superior choices for activation campaigns, product or service presentations, and marketing websites. They not only provide a richer user experience but also significantly enhance the understanding and appeal of the product, delivering significant improvements in engagement and conversion metrics.

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Unlock the Power of Interactive, Flexible, and Stylish Accordion

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Ravi Kumar
Product Designer with a decade of expertise in creating research-driven designs for enterprise applications.

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An accordion is a vertically stacked list of headers that reveal or hide associated sections of content. Accordion components are great for displaying content in a collapsible format, making them ideal for managing large amounts of information in a compact way. They typically consist of a series of expandable sections or panels.

Accordion Anatomy

The accordion component is composed of several key elements:

Header: The Header is the clickable area that users interact with to expand or collapse the accordion. It typically includes a title and may also feature additional elements like icons (e.g., chevron, status indicators, or settings icons) to provide context or functionality. The header ensures proper alignment and spacing of its elements for a clean and organized layout.

Chevron Icon: A directional icon located at the end of the header, indicating the current state of the accordion (collapsed or expanded). It points down when collapsed and up when expanded.

Additional Icon: An optional icon near the title within the header container, providing further context or functionality (e.g., a user avatar, status indicator, or settings gear).

Content Panel/Container: The section that holds the detailed content of the accordion, revealed or hidden when the header is clicked. It ensures proper layout and organization of the content for clarity and readability.

Divider: A visual separator between different accordion sections or headers, often a line or space that helps delineate sections and improve readability.

Badge: A small visual indicator, typically placed near the header, showing additional information like counts or status. This enhances usability by providing extra data at a glance.

Box: The outer container that surrounds the entire accordion component, including the header and content panel. It provides a structural framework and may include styling like borders, shadows, or background colors.

These elements work in tandem to provide an organized, visually appealing, and interactive user experience, allowing users to manage large amounts of information in a compact and efficient format.

Accordion States & Behavior

The accordion component has several key states that define its interaction.

Collapsed State

Default (Collapsed)

Appearance and Behavior: The accordion header is visible with no content displayed. It typically features a collapsed icon (e.g., downward-facing arrow or plus sign) and is styled to indicate it can be interacted with.

Hover (Collapsed)

Appearance and Behavior: When the user hovers over the collapsed header, it visually changes (e.g., background color shift or border highlight) to indicate that it can be expanded.

Pressed (Collapsed)

Appearance and Behavior: The header shows a pressed effect (e.g., darker shade or inset shadow) when clicked, indicating that the section is in the process of expanding.

Focused (Collapsed)

Appearance and Behavior: The header features a focus ring or outline to indicate keyboard focus, helping users understand that the section can be expanded with a key press.

Expanded State

Default (Expanded)

Appearance and Behavior: The header is visible along with the expanded content. The icon (e.g., upward-facing arrow or minus sign) indicates the section is open and the content is fully displayed.

Hover (Expanded)

Appearance and Behavior: When hovering over the expanded header, visual feedback is provided (e.g., background color or shadow effect), indicating that the section can be collapsed.

Pressed (Expanded)

Appearance and Behavior: The header appears pressed when clicked, showing that the section is in the process of collapsing. The icon transitions to indicate the change.

Focused (Expanded)

Appearance and Behavior: The expanded header has a focus ring or outline, similar to the collapsed focus state, helping users navigate via keyboard while keeping the content visible.

Disabled Accordion

A disabled accordion cannot be interacted with, expanded, or collapsed. It appears visually distinct, often grayed out, and does not respond to clicks or keyboard navigation. Its content and toggle icon are hidden, and it does not receive focus during navigation.

Accordion Variations

Accordions come in various styles to suit different user needs and content types. Here’s an overview of different accordion designs

Text Accordion

A text accordion, also known as a default, basic or standard accordion, features sections with text-based headers that users can click to expand or collapse. Each header is clearly labeled with text, making it easy for users to understand the content of each section. This design helps organize information efficiently and enhances readability by allowing users to view only the sections they are interested in.

Icon Accordion

An icon accordion includes icons alongside the text or header of each section. The icons represent the content or function of the section, enhancing visual recognition. The accordion expands or collapses content as needed, with icons helping users quickly identify and navigate between sections. This design improves usability and provides a more engaging and intuitive interface.

Image Accordion

An image accordion features images within the header of each section, visually representing the content or purpose. This design is particularly useful for user profiles, team directories, or messaging apps where visual identification enhances the user experience. By making headers more engaging and easier to identify, it provides a more intuitive way for users to navigate and interact with the content.

Accordion Enhancements

Expand Indicator Icon

The expand indicator icon in an accordion automatically rotates to show the state of the section — down when collapsed and up when expanded. This icon is crucial for signaling whether content can be revealed or hidden. Common types of icons used include arrows (e.g., chevrons), plus/minus icons, and caret icons, each providing a clear visual cue about the accordion’s current state.

Expand Indicator Icon Position

The expand indicator icon in an accordion can be positioned in several ways depending on the design and layout. It is often placed to the left of the header, making it immediately visible when the section header is clicked. Alternatively, it may be positioned to the right of the header, providing a clear visual cue after the header text. In some designs, the icon is integrated within the header, aligning with or adjacent to the text for a more compact appearance.

Accordion Text Alignments

In an accordion, text alignment within the header can vary to meet different design needs. Left-aligned text is placed at the left edge of the header, making it suitable for designs with icons or badges on the right. Center-aligned text is positioned in the middle of the header, ideal for minimalistic designs or short titles. Right-aligned text is aligned to the right edge, which works well for designs featuring icons or badges on the left and for supporting right-to-left language layouts.

Accordion with Title

A main title for an accordion is the primary heading that defines the overall theme of the content. It helps users quickly understand the purpose of the sections below. Positioned at the top, it’s more prominent than section headers, providing a clear sense of what information or settings are contained in the expandable sections, such as “Frequently Asked Questions” or “User Account Overview.”

Accordion with Sub header

A sub-header in an accordion provides additional context or information below the main header. This can help clarify the content of each section or offer more details without overwhelming the main header. If the sub-header text exceeds the width of the accordion, it may truncate and show a tooltip on hover for complete information.

Accordion Text Display

Accordion Text Display focuses on how text is managed and presented within accordion headers. Key techniques include:

A truncated accordion uses ellipses to shorten titles that exceed a set length, maintaining a compact design. Full titles can be revealed through interactions like hovering or expanding.

In a wrapped text accordion, long titles automatically wrap to the next line, adjusting the container’s height to fit the full text. This approach ensures readability and accommodates extended titles while keeping the design responsive.

Accordion with Show Number Prefix

A number accordion uses numbers as prefixes in the headers to organize and sequence sections. Each header starts with a number, such as “1. Introduction,” “2. Features,” and “3. FAQs,” helping users easily navigate and identify the order of sections within the accordion.

Accordion Spacing

Accordion Spacing involves adjusting the padding and margins within and around accordion components to achieve a clean and modern look. This includes setting section padding to keep content from touching the edges of each section, margins between individual accordion sections to ensure clear separation, and header spacing with adequate top, bottom, left, and right margins to enhance readability and prevent clutter. Proper spacing improves the visual appeal and usability of the accordion, creating a well-organized and balanced layout.

Accordion Fluid

Accordion Fluid refers to an accordion design that adapts dynamically to fit its container, allowing it to resize fluidly based on available space. This approach ensures that the accordion maintains a responsive and flexible layout, adjusting both horizontally and vertically to accommodate varying screen sizes or container dimensions. Fluid accordions enhance usability by ensuring that content is always displayed effectively, regardless of changes in the viewing environment.

Accordion Sizes

Accordion with Border

An accordion with a border features sections enclosed by a border around the box. This design provides a clear visual boundary for each section, enhancing organization and focus. The rounded border creates a softer, more modern look, making the accordion visually appealing and easy to distinguish from surrounding elements.

Floating Accordion

A Floating Accordion, also known as “borderless,” “bare,” or “ghost,” removes background and borders, offering a clean, unobtrusive design. This style is ideal for modals or when space is limited, providing a sleek appearance that integrates seamlessly with the surrounding content.

Shadow on Accordion Box and Header

Shadows enhance an accordion component by adding depth and emphasis. Applying a shadow to the accordion box makes it stand out from the background, creating an elevated effect. A shadow on the accordion header highlights its prominence and improves its visual distinction. These effects help make the accordion more engaging and visually appealing.

Accordion Contextual Information

Badges, Alerts, Status, Metadata, and Progress each enhance accordions by providing additional contextual information:

Badges: Small visual indicators that display counts, notifications, or quick information, such as the number of unread messages or pending tasks. They offer a concise way to convey key details at a glance.

Alerts: Visual or textual messages that highlight important notifications, warnings, or errors. Alerts are designed to draw attention to critical information, ensuring users are promptly aware of urgent issues or updates.

Status: Indicators that show the current state or condition of each section, such as “In Progress,” “Completed,” or “Pending.” They help users quickly understand the progress or state of various items within the accordion.

Unread Indicators: Highlight sections with unread or new content to help users quickly identify updates. Common indicators include badges with counts, background highlights, or small icons, enhancing usability by drawing attention to sections that need review.

Metadata: Additional contextual information about each section, such as timestamps, labels, or data points. Metadata provides extra detail that helps users better understand or categorize the content.

Progress: Displays progress indicators within each section, allowing users to track task completion or status. Common features include progress bars, progress circles, or status labels like “In Progress” or “Completed,” which help users monitor and manage ongoing tasks more effectively.

Combination: Badges, alerts, status, and metadata can be combined in an accordion to provide users with a comprehensive overview of information, improving clarity and interaction.

Accordion Interactions

Always Open

In this behavior, multiple sections of the accordion can be expanded at once, allowing users to view several or all sections simultaneously. This provides greater flexibility for users who want to access large amounts of content without closing any sections.

Only One Expanded at a Time

In this interaction, only one section of the accordion can be open at a time. When the user expands a new section, the previously open section automatically collapses. This is ideal for keeping content organized and minimizing clutter, particularly when space is limited.

By Default, One Open

When the page loads, one section is expanded by default. This can guide users by highlighting the most important or commonly accessed information first. Other sections remain collapsed until the user manually interacts with them.

Auto-Collapse

With this interaction, expanding one section automatically collapses all other open sections. It is similar to “one at a time” behavior but focuses on minimizing the need for user clicks by closing other sections immediately.

Sequential Expansion

Sequential Expansion requires users to complete accordion sections in a specific order, often used in multi-step forms or onboarding processes. This method ensures a logical flow, making sure users address each section sequentially before moving to the next. It is effective in scenarios where each section builds upon the previous one, such as in detailed forms, surveys, or step-by-step tutorials.

Accordion Control Button

The accordion control buttons include “Expand All” and “Collapse All”. The “Expand All” button, placed above the accordion, expands all sections to reveal all content. Conversely, the “Collapse All” button collapses all sections, hiding the content. Both buttons should be implemented with proper state management to ensure consistent and simultaneous expansion or collapse of all sections.

Accordion with Tooltip

An accordion tooltip is a feature that provides additional context or information when a user hovers over or interacts with an accordion header or section. Tooltips can enhance the user experience by offering hints or explanations without cluttering the interface.

Advanced Features

Nested Accordion

A nested accordion includes an accordion within another accordion, allowing multiple layers of collapsible sections. This design helps organize complex, hierarchical content by expanding or collapsing top-level sections and revealing additional nested sections as needed.

Accordion Reorder

Reordering Accordion allows users to rearrange accordion sections to better suit their needs. Users can drag and drop sections or use navigation buttons to adjust their order, enhancing flexibility and content organization. For example, in a project management dashboard, moving the “Urgent” section to the top helps prioritize critical tasks.

Accordion with Actions

Accordion Actions refer to the interactive elements that allow users to manipulate and interact with accordion components. Key actions include:

Icon Button: Uses graphical icons to represent actions visually, such as a plus sign for “Create,” a pencil for “Update,” or a trash can for “Delete.” Icon buttons are compact and save space while conveying actions through universally recognized symbols.

Text Button: Utilizes textual labels like “Create,” “Update,” or “Delete” to clearly indicate the action. Text buttons are straightforward and easily understood, making them suitable for explicit commands.

Toggle Button: Provides an on/off switch to enable or disable features or settings within the accordion. It allows users to change the state of a section or its contents clearly.

Radio Button: Allows users to select one option from a set of mutually exclusive choices. This is useful for scenarios where only one option can be chosen from several available within the accordion.

Checkbox: Used for actions such as accepting terms or confirming selections. It allows users to toggle between checked and unchecked states to indicate agreement or completion.

Conclusion

Accordions are a powerful UI component for organizing and managing large volumes of information in a compact, user-friendly format. By allowing users to expand or collapse content sections as needed, accordions improve usability, reduce visual clutter, and enhance content discoverability. The design flexibility — ranging from simple text-based accordions to those featuring icons, images, and contextual information — ensures they can be adapted to suit various content types and user needs. By incorporating thoughtful design elements such as indicators, tooltips, and control buttons, and supporting various interaction patterns, accordions create an intuitive and engaging experience that helps users quickly find and focus on the information most relevant to them.

Credit

“While researching this topic, I was fortunate to receive valuable insights from Kusumit Goyal (Product Manager) and Shashanka Behera (UX Designer) , whose expertise in UX design & UX Research helped refine my understanding of user interfaces.”

Sources:

https://mui.com/material-ui/react-accordion

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/accordions-on-desktop

https://ant.design/components/collapse#collapse-demo-mix

https://rei.github.io/rei-cedar-docs/components/accordion

https://design.talend.com/?path=/docs/navigation-accordion–docsx

https://blade.razorpay.com/?path=/docs/components-accordion–docs

https://doc.wikimedia.org/codex/latest/components/demos/accordion.html

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