The Art of the 404 Error Page

THE ART OF THE404 ERROR PAGE

A   C O L L E C T I O N   O F   H I D D E N   P A G E S

WHAT IS A 404 PAGE?

The 404 page is a standard response code in HTTPtelling the user, in effect, that they've clicked on abroken link.

This is generally a nuisance to users, but awell-designed error page at least makes theexperience less frustrating. Here are some reallycool examples of 404 pages...

Here we give the user a choice to "fire" thewebmaster. Each choice shows you one of Brent'sexpressions.

A little humor goes a long way towards disarminga user's frustration.

A good excuse for finding a 404 is that:a) The user mistyped the URLb) The webmaster "broke" the URLNote the large call-to-action back to the homepage.

This is a really creative solution, and a fun comic strip.

This retailer also gives the user additional navigationto choose from after the page they want is missing.

Embedded YouTube video here is set to loop. Thedanger here is annoying your user even more.

Great example of showing your product andpossible "causes" of the 404 page.

Fun use of popular culture icons and a parallax backgroundmake this 404 stand out. Note: sometimes a search barworks better than a home button.

A 404 gives you an opportunity to create visualmetaphors for "broken," "lost" or "frozen."

Starbucks 404 is very customer service centric. It gives alayman's explanation of what happened, and instructionson what to do next. This is a great solution if your audienceisn't familiar with 404s.

When done right a 404 attracts positive attention.

People liked Hillary Clinton's page and it got nationalmedia exposure.

Our own page has a direct message and simple call-to-actionto return home. Try different designs and track which oneworks best at preventing the user from abandoning your site.

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