Flash is a vector animation software originally designed to create animations for display on web pages. Vector graphics are ideal for the web because they are so lightweight.
Over the releases of new versions of Flash, Macromedia has made Flash more and more controllable via programming, where they have it positioned as a competitor to HTML to build interactive web sites and applications such as an e-commerce store. Macromedia argues that Flash is the way to go instead of HTML because of the following reasons
Flash movies load faster and save on download time because Flash is vector based where as HTML is not.
Flash intelligently 'caches' its movies, so they don't have to be reloaded
Flash gives the users (the person viewing/using the Flash movie) a more responsive 'rich-client' like experience
Flash pages can be made to load faster, but most of the time, the way they are designed in the real world, they do not. That is not a Flash problem; it is more an issue of the Flash developers going nuts with fancy and heavy Flash movies
HTML caches pages as well, once images are downloaded they are held in your browsers cache; the cached images are then used instead of downloading them from the server again.
With new technology like ASP.net and Java Server Faces, HTML now can react just like a 'rich-client' application. Even without these new tools, properly designed HTML for most dynamic sites can provide a good user experience.
So when should you use Flash? Flash should be used when someone wants to create a presentation that is similar to a television commercial. This type of presentation is something where the user sits back and enjoys the show as the Flash movie delivers the message to the client with animation, sound and possibly video. Please do not get this confused with those ever-present 'intro' animations that still plague many Flash sites. Rather it's about informative movies that the user can decide to view to learn about something like a product.
If done correctly flash can make your website a fun, interactive place without losing the professionalism website owners want. The possibilities of flash are unlimited.
One of the benefits of using a flash presentation is that you can mix your statements with visual effects thereby making your message come across clearer and more powerful. However if that user comes back to your site again and again are they going to get tired of seeing the same presentation? This can be avoided a number of ways either by using a cookie that redirects a repeat user to a page without the presentation, or by letting the user choose when they want to see it. Putting a "View Presentation" link on your website is something to consider.
By keeping it subtle and not overdoing it flash can be a perfect touch to give the website just a bit of "life". What is your budget? For some it's a great value but if you're working with a tight budget you may want to keep flash as an option for down the road |
