08.01 | 2004
Flash isn't just for kids
When most people think of Flash, they think of those annoying intro movies that may be neat the first
time, but then become nothing more than a barrier to enter a website after you've seen them. It is nothing
more than Flash for the sake of Flash and doesn't add much, if any, value to a website.
When implemented properly though, Flash can be a powerful and useful tool in the internet world, especially
as broadband usage increases. Latest statistics show broadband penetration in the U.S. at around 50% of
households and these web surfers like to use their new found speed.
So why should you seriously consider Flash for your website? Well, for one thing, it creates movement
and interest when done tastefully. One of our favorite places to use Flash is in the website header. Flash
allows for more interesting navigation buttons or logo presentation. You have to keep in mind that website
audiences have matured and the presentation of your site is directly competing with video and TV. Web surfers
expect more these days from a website. The old school static pages designed for slow connections are taking
a back seat to the dynamic and fluid pages of websites using the latest technology.
Speaking of latest Technology, we feel that the best implementation of Flash is to mimic desktop programs.
One of the most clunky aspects of HTML are the page loads and refreshes. Just think about the difference
between a website and one of your office programs like Word or Excel. Have you ever clicked a button in
Word and had to wait for the page to refresh? Did the screen turn completely white before the new content
loaded into it? Of course not, desktop programs are inherently more fluid than a website, that is, unless
you are using the latest Flash technology to mimic the desktop.
As an example of how a website can emulate a desktop program, take a look at a photography site built
by i-magination:
http://www.DesertDolphin.com
Desert Dolphin is a prime example of how Flash can be used to soften the edges of HTML. Also notable is
the Flash going on in the background of the Desert Dolphin site. The site uses Flash Remoting extensively
to communicate to the backend processes. The content of the site is completely dynamic, all text and imagery
is extracted from a database that is maintained by the Desert Dolphin staff. If they make changes to the
data or image files, it is immediately reflected to the front-end user.
The point of this article is that there are many business applications for Flash that should be considered.
Flash can be used to create advanced shopping carts that are contained on a single page, not like HTML
sites that have many pages where you fill out form after form and click your way to the end. It can be
used for reservation screens that show you available dates and let you book travel or lodging in an easy
to use interface. Flash is also browser and OS (operating system) independent. It doesn’t matter if you
are on a PC or a Mac and which browser you are using. The benefits are numerous and these are only a few
to get the wheels turning.
We hope that this article may give you some ideas on how you can use Flash to enhance your customer’s
experience as they browse your website. Flash really isn’t just for kids anymore, it’s a powerful tool
for business that shouldn’t be dismissed without some serious consideration.
