Sorry, But I Dont Flash!
A web design client asked me yesterday if I could provide a Flash intro to his new web site. Whilst I agree that some Flash web sites are quite spectacular, my humble opinion is that Flash sites are mostly self-serving displays that cater more for the creative desire of the developer than the userīs needs or experience.
Oh, get on with it!
How many times have you watched in awe at a 2 minute Flash intro, only to realise that you havenīt actually entered the site yet! How many times have you entered a Flash site and thought "OK, now where do I click for...widgets"?
5 Reasons Why I Dont Recommend Flash
Flash is an impressive technology, but I would offer 5 reasons why I donīt recommend its use to my clients...
1. Search Engines donīt like Flash: If the Food of Love for Search Engines is content, then try having a look at the html source behind most Flash sites. I think youīll find that text content is minimal or even non-existent. How is a search engine to index or assess the relevancy of that site? Ok, so some Search Engines, such as Google, dir.com and FAST Search know how to read the text in a Flash file. But the majority of Search Engines only index HTML content. And, as the nature of most Flash sites mean that they are more graphical in design than rich in text content this can have a negative impact on rankings.
Most Flash sites disable the browserīs back button. If Google suggests a site for a given search term and the user immediately clicks the back button after following that Google link, then Google will rate that back button click as a measure of lower relevance for the site in question. Google may penalise as site for disabling the back button.
2. Site Usability is compromised: There are well researched and justified standards for designing web usability. Getting your visitor to the content they desire as quickly as possible is what every site should be trying to achieve. Whilst general web designers do attempt to inject some individuality into their designs, Flash based sites seem to prefer to leave their audience staring and wondering where to begin to navigate the site. On some Flash sites, the user has to pass the mouse across the screen just to find the navigational elements!
3. Accessibility is sacrificed: Flash site are, by design, graphic heavy and text light. Screen readers, as used by the visually impaired, have difficulty making sense of graphic heavy sites. As mentioned earlier, Flash navigation is usually mouse-driven with no keyboard alternatives. Flash sites are often implemented as a single page with all page transitions built into the Flash file itself. There is no method for a user to bookmark a favourite page.
4. Users need proprietary Plug-ins: To view Flash sites, the user must have already installed the Flash player plug-in. If the user hasnīt installed the plug-in (which many donīt) then at best, their experience is diminished, at worst, the site doesnīt work at all. Web sites should not force the user into using any proprietary systems.
5. Slower Internet connections cannot cope: Remember, your site vistiors will be accessing your sites using a range of technologies, platforms and connection speeds. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it was estimated that 69% of home Internet access from the UK was via a broadband connection. That still leaves 31% on slower dial-up connections! Flash files take time to download, especially if they are laden with audio or movies. These files, on a slower connection, can bring the userīs experience grinding to a halt.
It Looks Lovely But What Does It Do?
Flash may result in the ultimate all singing, all dancing web site. But you should think carefully if it is what your web site visitors want or expect from a site in your business sector or if it is impacting their ability to use your site and achieve their goals.
Seamus Clarke , founder of Inspired, is widely known throughout Northern Ireland as an experienced Web Designer and eBusiness Consultant.