Outlaw Design Blog

DS Buttons - A Great Niche Website

Posted on 19. Apr, 2007 by Danny Outlaw in Uncategorized

Generating money online is all about finding a niche market or creating your own. The brilliant bind at DS Buttons have done both. They tapped into the sub-culture of DS gamers and created a simple product unlike any other on the market.

The business model here is awesome. they have a product thats cheap to make, takes minimal effort to make, and costs next to nothing to ship. At well less than $1 a piece to make, you are talking serious profit. I interviewed the guys at DS Buttons to find out a little bit more about this awesome idea and how it came to be.

This is a great niche idea, how did you come up with it?

Thanks! The idea came together while thinking about the unique ad-hoc wireless gaming abilities of the Nintendo DS, and realizing just how passionate the DS community is about the platform. Nintendo’s decision to let DS players engage in wireless gaming sessions regardless of whether or not all participants own the game being played is really forward thinking. It shows they see social gaming as an integral part of the DS, and we hope to help even more people enjoy that experience. But why buttons? They’re a fun way for DS fans to express their enthusiasm for the platform, and a delightfully low-tech way to open themselves up to the possibility of finding new gaming partners for an impromptu match.

What advice would you give other designers in search of a niche product?

Keep an eye out for a niches with particularly passionate users and don’t be afraid to test the waters to see how your idea will be received. Fortunately my friends and collaborators on this project Sean Madden and Tom Watson provided the nudge that transformed DS Buttons from a neat idea into a real product.

Who does the artwork for the DS buttons?

The illustrations are by the talented Christian Lindemann of Linde Design. We got in touch with him about creating some custom art after seeing his work on iStockphoto.

What does the future hold for DS buttons?

Not sure, really, however the DS continues to be a popular platform with a really awesome community so we’ll have to see what happens down the road.

Who designed the DS button website and how did you come up with it?

I was the point man for putting the site design together, but benefited from many helpful suggestions from Tom and Sean. We started by exploring layout ideas through wireframes, moved on to nailing down the visual design approach and kept iterating until we ended up with how the site looks now. Sean tackled turning the comps into the live site. One of my favorite parts of the design is the product photos we took, which I think do a great job both communicating what the buttons are all about and showing how neat they look in their natural habitat, pinned on bags and backpacks.

What made you choose the one page design?

It felt natural to showcase such a fun and simple product in a simple way. There is a progression from top to bottom: first an introduction to the concept behind the buttons, the middle area really shows off the button art and invites visitors to play with creating their own custom set, and the bottom portion has answers at the ready for people who are thinking about ordering.

What type of marketing do you use to promote the DS Button website?

We’ve been really fortunate to get word-of-mouth (word-of-link?) buzz in video game and web design blog circles, so no paid advertising so far. Many thanks to all who have put up a link sharing DS Buttons with their readers!

The drag and drop order feature is great, who is behind that?

Sean and Tom were advocates for the drag and drop cart, and they were right on! It’s a fun and engaging way to create a custom set of buttons. Sean is the javascript whiz who actually made it happen!

When can we see more designs for the buttons?

No set timetable at this point, but we always enjoy receiving requests for which games we should make buttons for next! Send your suggestions to ideas@dsbuttons.com!

Whats your favorite DS game?

Mario Kart, of course!