Overview
TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages.
When Method partnered with TED in 2006 to realize the mantra “Ideas Worth Spreading,” the groundbreaking ideas and talks from the TED Conference were available only to select conference attendees. In designing TED.com, Method’s strategy focused on surfacing TED’s unique content, the TEDTalks, and creating a seamless and differentiated viewing experience.
Since launch, the design has proven immensely successful, enabling TED.com to become one of the most popular video sites on the web. In the first year, page views soared to 46 million. Unique visits jumped an order of magnitude – to 15 million. Since its launch in 2007, TEDTalks have been viewed over 1 billion times.
When Method partnered with TED in 2006 to realize the mantra “Ideas Worth Spreading,” the groundbreaking ideas and talks from the TED Conference were available only to select conference attendees. In designing TED.com, Method’s strategy focused on surfacing TED’s unique content, the TEDTalks, and creating a seamless and differentiated viewing experience.
Since launch, the design has proven immensely successful, enabling TED.com to become one of the most popular video sites on the web. In the first year, page views soared to 46 million. Unique visits jumped an order of magnitude – to 15 million. Since its launch in 2007, TEDTalks have been viewed over 1 billion times.
Offerings
Data Design
Data Strategy
Digital Architecture
Experience Design
Product Design
Service Design
Software Engineering
Strategic Design
“We’ve dramatically expanded our community to millions of knowledge seekers across the globe.”
Ideas Worth Spreading
CONTEXT
Among the world’s leaders, no gathering is as revered as TED. The international conference brings together a curated, innovative showcase of new innovative ideas, products, and people, and is recognized as a top forum for the world’s most exciting and revolutionary thinking.
These acclaimed lectures and performances, however, were limited only to the exclusive audience privileged enough to secure an invitation to see them. That changed in 2006, when TED opened up a select series of video podcasts, TEDTalks, that captured the lectures and made them available online. To scale, however, they needed was a cohesive online presence to enable viewers to discover and browse content. Method joined in a collaborative partnership with TED to help them deliver on their promise: Ideas Worth Spreading.
These acclaimed lectures and performances, however, were limited only to the exclusive audience privileged enough to secure an invitation to see them. That changed in 2006, when TED opened up a select series of video podcasts, TEDTalks, that captured the lectures and made them available online. To scale, however, they needed was a cohesive online presence to enable viewers to discover and browse content. Method joined in a collaborative partnership with TED to help them deliver on their promise: Ideas Worth Spreading.
APPROACH
While TED originally pursued various directions for the online platform, including a closed network community site, Method quickly arrived at the conclusion that the true value in an online platform for TED would be the TEDTalks themselves.
Method designed the site around the inspiring talks and content, making the videos the centerpiece of the online experience. Visitors are immediately immersed in a catalog of content, categorized by both industry and field, and also rated by a range of tags. In a conscious decision to forego the five-star rating paradigm, Method chose to utilize descriptive tags for videos, rating them by keywords such as “inspiring,” “beautiful,” “informative,” “courageous,” “funny,” or “persuasive.” Through this rating system, users can curate their viewing experience and discover videos that appeal to both their subject interests and mood.
To further emphasize the sense of community, Method also incorporated a range of social tools, allowing users to comment and favorite talks, share videos on other sites, and create profiles that enable interaction with other members of TED.
In addition to the sleek and simple front-end, Method also built an intuitive and easy-to-use content management system for TED staff, allowing them simple access to post TEDTalks, to organize content, and to also work with sponsorship partners and advertisers to keep the conference and community alive and vibrant.
Method designed the site around the inspiring talks and content, making the videos the centerpiece of the online experience. Visitors are immediately immersed in a catalog of content, categorized by both industry and field, and also rated by a range of tags. In a conscious decision to forego the five-star rating paradigm, Method chose to utilize descriptive tags for videos, rating them by keywords such as “inspiring,” “beautiful,” “informative,” “courageous,” “funny,” or “persuasive.” Through this rating system, users can curate their viewing experience and discover videos that appeal to both their subject interests and mood.
To further emphasize the sense of community, Method also incorporated a range of social tools, allowing users to comment and favorite talks, share videos on other sites, and create profiles that enable interaction with other members of TED.
In addition to the sleek and simple front-end, Method also built an intuitive and easy-to-use content management system for TED staff, allowing them simple access to post TEDTalks, to organize content, and to also work with sponsorship partners and advertisers to keep the conference and community alive and vibrant.