Blog homeI am currently on the look out for really nice examples where travel websites have used sound effectively (happy with bad examples too!). Please add any you know of to the comments below. I will then write up and try and do some analysis on it.
I can think of a few where you can get “regional” music playing while you browse - but any other sound uses? Any functionality to help you “learn some local words” before you travel?
One use of sound that would fall into the bad category is what I hear when I go to TravelMole
Listen to what I hear when I go to TravelMole (mp3)
TravelMole are a respectable travel industry news site…… however they currently have a horrible noise on their site. I think it is a hot air balloon!
Then, if that isn’t bad enough, a video auto-starts when I hit the homepage as well! If you go from the homepage to an article, read the article, and back to the homepage - every time you get this awful noise (the hot air balloon - not Graham starting to talk!)
Maybe they assume that corporate users don’t have speakers. Frankly, I can’t browse their site because it annoys me so much - so I don’t (I wait for the daily email or use the RSS feed).
Anyway, I am sure you guys can come up with some better travel website examples where sound is used well.
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Our customers (honeymoon couples) are VERY often surfing travel sites for their dream destinations while they’re at work…having sound auto-play on a site means they’ll be embarassed and/or busted for doing something other than what they’re paid to be doing at the moment. And quickly leave that site, never to return again (at least during work hours).
I honestly can’t think of a site that does a good job with sound. I think optional video/sound files are okay but I’m often listening to Pandora etc while I’m surfing the interweb and it annoys me when a site unexpectedly starts making noise.
I do, however, love it when sites include video files (particularly sites that use video to explain their technology). Just don’t start the video automatically (that annoys me.)
TT
I occasionally come across jungle/rainforest lodges’ websites that seem to think playing background jungly music somehow adds to their appeal - drives me mad! I’ll post if I come across anymore anytime soon…
I come across loads of them. Great if you like tinny 80s lounge music on a permanent loop.
Here’s a rather obvious way of finding some:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=hotel+%22music+off%22
ok ok ok
Enough bad examples (thanks Mark!)
So no good ones then. Keep hunting!
I heard a Greek site’s audio once, the sound of Greek music and smashing plates. It was lovely, and really made me want to stay on that site to find more information about my holiday destination. NOT! I hate sound on websites, there’s no need for it, and just puts users off what they have visited the site for.
Maybe I should add an audio of a Ranting Yorkshireman when anyone refreshes the page?
Thank you very much for bring this to our attention! We have removed sound from our site.
Well done Helen. Thanks!
Helen: Disappointing move. We all used it to wake us up every morning.
This one has just been pointed out to me
http://www.raphael-hotel.com/uk/navigation.htm
What do you think of that? The music is actually quite good!