Thrudigital

This is the first in a series of blog posts on widgets. The aim of this first post is to introduce you to widgets, describe how they are different from applications  and what you can do with a widget. In a later post I will talk about how to launch a widget. If you’re still left with some questions on widgets having finished this article, please feel free to give us a call or if you’re looking for some examples of our widget work, please check out our page on widgets or alternatively our portfolio.

Probably best to start with a definition as that’s normally a good starting point, so here we go… a widget (which can also be known as a gadget) is a self-contained website/application that can be shared with friends and posted on any webpage, like a blog, social network profile or your own website.

It is also possible to create desktop widgets, which differ from a web widget in that they do not require a web browser to run, but otherwise are largely the same. Another point worth noting is that web widgets can without too much difficulty be adapted to work on mobiles which can add a new dimension to your widget.

Applications differ from widgets because they are not standalone and require an underlying platform, such as the Facebook or Bebo application platform to run. To read more about applications, please view the applications page where you can also see some examples.

So now you know what a widget is, it’s probably useful to know what can be done with a widget. Generally a widget can do anything a normal webpage can i.e. display any kind of content or data such as videos, photos, blogs & audio or any combination of these. Coupled with the ability for this content to be dynamic, controlled via an RSS feed or by CMS you are presented with a really blank canvas for your widget concept.

To help focus your ideas, I’m going to give some specific examples/guidance of what can be done.

* Create something useful
A utility widget might be a widget that delivers useful, relevant information to a user. Creating a truly useful widget concept requires an understanding of your target audience, what they do and how you can offer something (relevant to your products/service) to enhance what they do. This might be specific to the user, as in the example of the Nike+ widget given below or might be more general targeted at a group of users such as the Southwest Airlines widget also shown below. Utility widgets often have greater longevity as they fulfill a need or requirement.

Example: Nike+ and Southwest Airlines
Note: Both these widgets are desktop widgets and unfortunately we can’t claim that these are ours.

The Nike+ widget ties in with the Nike+ community site which helps users track their running activity and displays a users personal progress.

Ding, the Southwest Airlines widget delivers special offer and flight information to the users who have installed it.

* Create a game
Along with utility widgets, game widgets are often the most popular type of widget and often have greater longevity. A game widget might be relevant to your brand or company or might just be a fun game that you think users will like and will come back to play time and time again. When designing a game widget, as with any widget, it’s important to think about what can bring the user back to interact with the widget again.

* Distribute your content
Your widget could allow users to consume your content in environments away from you own site as well as sharing it with their friends. This could be the trailer for a film you’re releasing or maybe the latest/most popular videos/news/photos uploaded to your site.

Example: In Bruges Widget

The In Bruges widget promoting the release of the Universal Pictures film features photos from the film, along with a trailer and a synopsis.

Hopefully this blog post has been informative, but as mentioned at the beginning of the post, if you have any further questions please contact us. You may also find the follow post to this article useful, so please come back soon to read it.