The Appropriate Use of Flash

The Appropriate Use Of Flash
Flash is the ultimate plug-in for displaying rich interactive games, video, audio and high quality user experiences. With 99.8% of the internet population (in mature markets) using flash, the fear that users will be excluded is no longer a major concern. Developers can rest assured that their content will be visible by near-as-makes-no-difference everyone.

99.8% is an impressive statistic, however where Flash excels in some areas its falls massively in others. In this article we talk you through the benefits of using Flash on your website and why you shouldn't rely on Flash for everything. DUSZA appreciates the importance of Flash in the web environment, but also understands the limitations imposed. Gone are the days where a complete Flash website is commonplace on the internet. Gone are the days where Flash is all the rage and the hip thing to be using.

User Experience
Creating the ultimate user experience is not down to maximum interactivity or bulking your website out with animations and sliding effects. This is the problem when in-experienced developers create Flash websites; they believe that simply using flash will give your users a brilliant user experience. Scoping your user's to analyse their desired experience is imperative. For example an ecommerce website should not be utilising flash for its entire operation; you shouldn't put any un-necessary obstacles (flash animations) In the way of your users buying products of your website. This is a shining example of using flash incorrectly. The golden rule in flash implementation is, use it when it adds value not because its desirable. Desirable animation often leads to user frustration and can detour users from getting the best user experience possible.

Used correctly flash can create a phenomenal user experience. It is now possible to create virtual worlds within flash which takes interactivity to a whole new level. Users can experience rich 3D animations and complex game play within there web browser. Flash developers can even create atmosphere effects like smoke, fog and dust. Used in this respect Flash is untouchable and cannot be beaten by other methods.

Search Engines
The whole driving force behind building a web project is for users to visit and experience it, search engines help massively in providing your web project with users. The major draw back of Flash is that the content inside a flash file is not easily readable by a search engine, which means if your ecommerce website was built entirely in Flash none of your products would show in search engines. Flash is becoming better at dealing with search engines but its still years behind HTML. Considering Google alone gets 90 million searches a day through its search portal, it would be unrealistic to ignore the potential offered by search engines. Thus already we have established two key areas; user experience and search engines where too much Flash can actually harm your project. Yes, it may look very nice with its colourful and seamless animation, but there are many ways to achieve sleek, non-disruptive animation and stunning design without the drawbacks of flash.

Content Managed Flash
The ability to update and control the information on your website, without the need to use your web agency for every amend, is a desirable feature. DUSZA build most of its website with this functionality built in, we even build it bespoke to your requirements so your not wadeing through unwanted functionality to do something simple. What does this have to do with flash? Well it takes extra time and cost to build functionality of this manner. This means to get a website with the same functionality could cost more in Flash than if you were using HTML.

Conclusion
Flash can be a very powerful tool when used correctly and appropriately. The Most successful websites use Flash in moderation, utilising Flash for small elements of a websites design, when required. Combining Flash elements with a slick HTML template gives you the best of both worlds. Search Engines will index most of your content, users will get a frustration free experience when using your website but they will still get the benefits of interactivity through Flash elements. The most important thing is ensuring your web agency properly scopes the use of Flash and uses it when it adds value not because they want to. DUSZA never use Flash unless its nessacery, we prefer to use lean HTML and reap the benefits of search engines

Quick Quote Quick Quote