I was tasked with the development of the Events and Membership pages for my client's website, each requiring specific, high-impact features as outlined in our initial Figma planning sessions. Key among these features were the integration of a captivating hero section video on the Events page, and both video and slider implementations on the Membership page. These elements were critical to enhancing user engagement and providing a dynamic user experience as specified by the client.
In addition to these elements, my role extended to adding the general page content and ensuring that all aspects of the pages were responsive, cohesive, and included micro-interactions that met the client’s exacting standards.
Optimizing Video Hero Integration
Implementing a video on a webpage might seem straightforward, but I encountered several functionality challenges that complicated the process.
The primary issue was the video's size and the limitations imposed by its aspect ratio, relative to the client's vision for an edge-to-edge hero video. The original video file was extremely large, and scaling it down to fit within the page's constraints—while maintaining aspect ratio—proved problematic.
The Vimeo player also had limitations, as it did not allow for aspect ratio adjustments (like adding black bars), or adjustment of the player UI size, making it difficult to achieve my client's design. This led to a necessary revision of the entire hero section to overcome these issues.
Clever Integration
To address the challenges with the video implementation, I explored multiple alternative approaches that preserved the client's vision for a full-screen video experience while minimizing on-screen clutter.
I came up with a solution that involved a maximized Vimeo embed, strategically hiding unnecessary player controls and certain elements behind the webpage's sticky nav bar. This effectively concealed the edges of the video that were cut off, integrating it seamlessly into the page's layout.
My client was highly pleased with the new implementation, which not only met but exceeded their expectations for a clean and immersive video presentation.
Customizing UI Beyond Native Webflow
On the Membership page, another challenge arose with the styling of the sliders and video embeds, particularly the user interface elements.
Webflow's default settings offer limited customization options for slider UIs, primarily allowing just the inversion of dot colors. You aren't able to directly modify the styling of these particular elements, an odd quality of the designer, which left ignored, creates a lot of boredom in the more subtle parts of a site.
However, my client had specific requirements for the UI styling of the video and testimonial sliders that went beyond what Webflow could natively support.
JavaScript and CSS Enhancements
With my web development know-how in hand, the solution to this problem was simple.
Webflow’s standard settings weren't cutting it for the unique, slick look we were aiming for. So, I got creative with the platform’s setup. By assigning specific IDs to each slider’s UI components, I could directly apply the custom styles my client envisioned. I utilized CSS for styling elements, and custom JavaScript to inject that styling - as the raw CSS was not overriding the default slider styling.
This straightforward but effective workaround not only bypassed Webflow's usual constraints but also brought a personalized touch to the sliders, perfectly aligning with my client's desired vision.
What I really loved about working on this project was the whole problem-solving journey. Sure, running into development issues—whether it's with functionality, implementation, or design—is inevitable, but it's also where I find opportunities to learn and grow my skillset.
Figuring out how to mesh Vimeo's limitations with our bold design goals on the Events page, or tweaking Webflow's sliders to get just the right look on the Membership page, were puzzles that kept me engaged and pushed my problem solving skills. Every challenge was an opportunity to push the boundaries of what I could do with the tools at hand and to learn something new. This project sharpened my skills and reinforced my love for the creative and technical sides of web development.