To Flash or not to Flash

Elizabeth

A little off the PHP topic, but I'm curious to see if y'all think that using Flash in a website is really worth it? I know it can really add some visual pizazz to a site, but do you think people really take the time to see your work?

We have considered adding a Flash intro to our corp site, but decided that most people bypass this step anyway. From my experience and my schoolin' it seems that people are basically impatient and either want to get right to the nitty gritty or don't want to take the time to download the Flash player.

What do you guys think?

-Elizabeth

BuzzLY

Hi Liz,

In my experience, Flash can be good, but it can also be overused. A Flash intro with the ability to skip it is good -- I personally have no problems with that. Same with a choice between a Flash and an HTML site -- I like that.

I personally have Flash installed, and enjoy using Flash enabled sites, if they are done well. If a site uses too much animation, and adds things just for WOW factor, then I'm not too impressed. But there are a few sites out there that are well done:

Not bad, but no HTML choice:
http://www.itcatmedia.com/school/

Very good, choice of HTML or Flash, clean and neat:
http://www.zekestudios.com

Ugh! I just had a seizure:
http://www.heathrowexpress.co.uk/front.htm

Of course, these are only my opinions... I think the best thing to do is put together a good clean HTML site, then feel people out to see what you can do with Flash. Much of it will have to do with your target audience, too. If you are designing a stock information site for executives, they probably don't care about spinning logos. But if you are creating a MTV-generation clothing store, Flash might be the way to go.

Sorry that's not a very definitive answer, Elizabeth, but it's not easy to say. My suggestion would be to go to http://www.coolhomepages.com/ and check out their rated Flash pages. See how other people are rating them, and see what you like best. It's a start, anyway.

Good luck!

Edit: Ok, after rereading your post, I realize I didn't really answer your question LOL. My answer would be yes, I think Flash can be a good thing on your site, as long as you give users an "out." Some users don't have Flash installed, (and I have no idea how reliable AOL is when it comes to Flash. But if you give then an all-HTML option, then I think you are ok.

I hope that answers your question a little better.

Bunkermaster

I especially love the :

HTTP Error 404
404 Not Found

The Web server cannot find the file or script you asked for. Please check the URL to ensure that the path is correct.

Please contact the server's administrator if this problem persists.

on the eathrow site 😃 (lower frame)

on the flash intro subject :
Concider that most search engine robots will ignore your site if the first page they encounter is just a flash object.

Elizabeth

Ugh! I just had a seizure:
http://www.heathrowexpress.co.uk/front.htm

Boy you're not kidding... YIKES!

Thanks for the feedback- I agree with you. Like anything, I think Flash can be a good thing in MODERATION. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't hurting our company by NOT including it. And I'm glad to see that there are similar opinions out there.

Also- excellent point on the search engine thing, jean-Luc.. I mean .. ahem .. Bunkermaster

Thanks!
🙂

-Elizabeth

BuzzLY

wow... a PHP geek AND a Trekker! woo hoo! LOL

clintonium

BuzzLY is right on the mark. But while the flash/html choice is good for users, I've never understood why a company would subject itself to the torment of trying to maintain 2 separate versions of all their information. Is anyone's site really that static?

If you pay any attention to usability pundits like Jakob Nielsen, Flash is still best used for supplementary content rather than your primary navigation or interface. He also maintains that intro pages are only acceptable for a tiny margin of sites, and that if you do use one you should store a cookie with the user so that they can skip it on repeat visits (but this is still not a great solution).

That being said, it only takes a few clicks through a Jakob Nielsen site to realize that he has no talent for visual communication. So take his advice with a grain of salt. 😉

/eye still twitching after looking at heathrowexpress...

jeremuck

I pretty much agree with everyone on the flash aspect.

However, when it comes to websites making sound or music.... ughh. I hate it.
If I wanted sound or music, I'd play it myself. And if I am playing it myself, adding website sound on top just makes it cacaphonous.
And if I'm at work, having a website start making a bunch of sound is definitely not optimal, since the workstations at work typically have no easy way to get at the speaker volume, and the webpage volume controls may or may not exist.
Plus the quality is rarely good.

So please, no sound emitting websites.

Elizabeth

Yes, agreed Jeremuck! We all know that when WAT is underway (Work Avoidance Tactics) then sound is the killer. It's the proverbial lone beer bottle cap which got you busted in high school for having that party while your parents were out of town (don't ask how I know this).

In fact, why don't we start lobbying Congress for the banning of sound from websites altogether (unless of course it's a MUSIC website.)...

There is strength in numbers. Work Avoidance Forever!

-Elizabeth

BuzzLY

Hehe. One of the great things about designing a new site for your company is that you can go to any site you want. When asked what you are doing.... "researching website interfaces."

😃

Works like a charm. In our last meeting, I showed the President of our company 3 gaming sites, and explained to him how we could do similar layouts with modular PHP coding. He was seriously impressed (I did pick nice looking sites). Later, he walked by my office and saw that I was looking at imdb.com. I told him that I was thinking of building a search tool similar to their search engine, and proceeded to show him how to search for movies based on all kinds of criteria. He bought it!

There are times when I love my job. 🙂

Now, I just hope he doesn't read this forum 😉

Jedi_Legend

Flash sites frustrate me. I want to be able to select the text.

Bunkermaster

lol BuzzLY nice one (if i had employees which thank God for their sanity I don't, i'd have a report of most commonly visited sites on my internet acces and bust peeps wanking all day 😃)

BuzzLY

😃

You want to know the really sad part? I really was looking at those sites for design ideas, and I really was looking at the imdb.com database for ideas about good searching. I can't help it if I was using it to look up movie quotes from Lord of the Rings, can I?

Bunkermaster

best example search ever 😉