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Flash-based websites have been a fad for quite few years now, and as
Macromedia compiles more and more great features into Flash, we can only expect
there will be more and more flash sites around the web. However, Flash based
sites have been disputed to be un-user friendly and unnecessary. Where exactly
do we draw the line?
Here's a simple breakdown to help you make an informed decision.
Good Points of Flash:
Interactivity
Flash's Action script opens up a vast field of interactive possibilities. Programmers and
designers have used Flash to create interactive features ranging from very lively
feedback forms to fully Flash-based games. This whole new level of
interactivity will always leave site visitors coming back for more.
A standardized site
With Flash, you do not have to worry about cross-browser compatibility. No more
woes over how a certain css code displays differently in Internet Explorer,
Firefox and Opera. When you position your site elements in Flash, they will
always appear as they are as long as the user has Flash Player installed on the
browser viewing the page.
Better expression through animation
In Flash, one can make use of its animating features to convey a message in a
much more visual and effective way. Flash is a lightweight option for
animation because it is vector based (and hence has smaller file sizes) as opposed
to real "movie files" that are raster based and hence much larger in size...
and load speed alike.
The ugly side of Flash:
The Flash player
People have to specifically download the Flash player in advance before they can view Flash
movies, so by using Flash your visitor range will very certainly decrease considerably because
not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your
site. You'll also have to put in additional work in redirecting the user to the
Flash download page if he or she doesn't have the player installed. Not to
mention many people at work or on a mobile device will not be able or allowed to
install the Flash player.
Website optimization
If your site's content is presented in Flash, search engines wouldn't be able to
index your content. Hence, you will not be able to rank well in search engines
and there will be far less traffic heading to your site.
Loading time
Users have to wait longer than usual to load Flash content compared to regular
text and images. Additionally, some visitors might just lose their patience and click the
back button to leave. The longer your Flash takes to load, the more you risk losing
even more visitors.
The best way to go is to use Flash only when you absolutely need the
interactivity and motion that comes with it. Otherwise, use a smart mixture of Flash
and HTML or use pure text if your site is purely to present normal textual and
graphical information.
Free Web Design Tips from Template Trunk
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