{"id":18975,"date":"2021-09-22T10:02:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T14:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=18975"},"modified":"2021-09-22T10:02:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T14:02:58","slug":"updated-404-error-page","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/updated-404-error-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Updated Our 404 Error Page"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Browsing a brand\u2019s website shouldn\u2019t feel as impersonal as an automated call with customer service. \u201dSpeak with a representative. Speak. With. A. Representative. SPEAK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Anyone? Untethered fits of rage with the robot voice? Just us? Moving on\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many brands have decided that some parts of their websites don\u2019t need to reflect the same level of customer care that they provide in person. At Ceros, we\u2019re on a mission to make all digital experiences feel more human<\/em>\u2014like a real person made them\u2014and being more mindful of the real people that consume them. For us, that meant reviewing all of the possible digital touchpoints that a Ceros reader could encounter, and giving them each honest consideration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The touchpoint that is perhaps most frequently overlooked is the 404 error page, whose history dates back to the 1980s. Many websites erroneously<\/a> cite the origin of the numbers \u201c404\u201d as the office number of the room that held the World Wide Web\u2019s central database. Rui Alves, a contributor to the Medium blog \u201cThe History of Yesterday,\u201d hypothesizes<\/a> that 404 is a reference to Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, a missing flight that was never found in 1989\u2014the same year that Tim Berners-Lee founded the Web. But one of the creators begs to differ: Robert Cailliau, the Web\u2019s co-developer with Berners-Lee, said in an interview<\/a> that the number 404 was chosen \u201caccording to the whims of the programmer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how it started or what it means, the 404 error page is a lasting figure from the early days of the Internet. And on most sites, it doesn\u2019t look a whole lot different now than it did in the \u201980s. Ceros, too, was guilty of overlooking the potential of the 404 error page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That is, until now. Even though it represents a trip gone awry, we know that many of our users will, at some point, land on a dead page (for any number of reasons). And we know that we\u2019d hate for them to see that dreaded error message, simply shrug their shoulders, and close out the tab, taking their attention elsewhere. So we\u2019ve revamped our 404 page to be more consistent with the things we stand for.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLanding on a 404 page is never a fun experience, so we made it more interesting by including an interactive wheel that randomizes some of our prominent projects,\u201d said Tri Vo, our senior designer and the creator of our new 404 page. \u201cOur goal is to make sure our viewers always have a great experience, even when they\u2019re boxed into a corner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new error page serves a few purposes. First, it helps wayward users to land on a new page of interest, rather than being faced with a dead end. Second, it is designed to introduce new readers to our representative work and showcase the creative potential of the Ceros platform<\/a>. They\u2019ll get a sense of what we do and why we do it. And third, like Tri said, it\u2019s just fun<\/em>. We want to delight our readers at every possible turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for once, we\u2019re actually going to encourage<\/em> you to land on our 404. Go on: seek a dead page out! Replace the slug in our URL with whatever you want, or just click here for a faster version<\/a>.    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Landing on a 404 page is never fun. Our goal is to ensure our viewers always have a great experience, even when they\u2019re boxed into a corner.<\/div>\n

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