Articles
Pros and Cons of Using Flash in Your Designs
We often receive a lot of requests to develop websites in Adobe Flash. Like any request, we try to get an analysis of why our clients need what they need. Do they simply want something because they think it looks cool? Or are they using a program because it actually solves a problem?
There is no doubt that since Flash appeared on the market in 1996, designers have done amazing things. From moving vector graphics to moving bitmaps, Flash is truly in a class of its own. The introduction of actionscripting and server-side Flash applications have also helped companies develop truly cutting-edge programs with a completely customized design.
Some pros of Flash are:
The Cons:
The average client focused on the user's experience will soon realize the limitations of Flash. However, I want to talk about the following negative traits of Flash.
Accessibility: The original accessibility complaint that has always existed is that a user's browser might not have the right plug-in to see the Flash work on your websites. However, the reality is that any programmer worth his salt is going to program code into the site that will prompt the user to download the most recent version of Flash. So I am not really that concerned with this issue. The major concern is this: the mobile market.
Over 90% of mobile search is done using the Apple iPhone and/or Blackberry (Crackberry for those who actually have one). To date, Flash does not work on mobile phones. Therefore, if your site is designed entirely in Flash or has critical sections of it designed in Flash, you are cutting out a major share of the market. (And if you are wondering how many people actually view websites on their phone, 2008 studies show over a billion page impressions a month… so um… a lot.)
Next major concern: SEO
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. These everyone has with a website, whether you are a large company or an independent blogger. You can have the greatest website in the world, but if nobody can find it, what's the use? It's not like finding a needle in a haystack, it's like finding a needle in a stack of needles.
So in order to be found in the biggest mall in the world (aka the world wide web), you need to utilize the SEO techniques that major search engines look for. This is not a problem for a website that utilizes the standard CSS/xhtml. However, when you add Flash into the mix, the spiders that are used by the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) get confused and they do not index your pages with the same fashion as a standard coded page. SEO requires the use of proper keywords and inbound links. When you use Flash, these techniques are not readable. The end result is that Flash can have serious negative effects on your websites SEO campaign.
So if these negative attributes of Flash are so bad, why use Flash? My recommendation to clients is always the same in regards to Flash: try to only use Flash in the non-critical areas of your websites. Usability studies do show that users are often captivated by moving graphics. However, after the first few, they are often more annoyed than dazzled. So if you are going to use Flash, by all means, do it. But save it for less critical areas of your website that will not affect the users' ability to view important information. Also, unless you have a specific marketing strategy, only use Flash in specific parts of your websites so that your pages can still utilize the keywords, metatags, and other SEO techniques that are preserved in your CSS/XHTML pages.
There is no doubt that since Flash appeared on the market in 1996, designers have done amazing things. From moving vector graphics to moving bitmaps, Flash is truly in a class of its own. The introduction of actionscripting and server-side Flash applications have also helped companies develop truly cutting-edge programs with a completely customized design.Some pros of Flash are:
- Harnessing its rich graphics and animation capabilities
- The introduction of the flv format which allows users to view highly compressed, fully optimized, streamed video to be viewed over the web
- Sophisticated smooth animations, color blending, and opacity
- Accurate typography
- Relatively small file sizes
The Cons:
The average client focused on the user's experience will soon realize the limitations of Flash. However, I want to talk about the following negative traits of Flash.
Accessibility: The original accessibility complaint that has always existed is that a user's browser might not have the right plug-in to see the Flash work on your websites. However, the reality is that any programmer worth his salt is going to program code into the site that will prompt the user to download the most recent version of Flash. So I am not really that concerned with this issue. The major concern is this: the mobile market.
Over 90% of mobile search is done using the Apple iPhone and/or Blackberry (Crackberry for those who actually have one). To date, Flash does not work on mobile phones. Therefore, if your site is designed entirely in Flash or has critical sections of it designed in Flash, you are cutting out a major share of the market. (And if you are wondering how many people actually view websites on their phone, 2008 studies show over a billion page impressions a month… so um… a lot.)
Next major concern: SEO
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. These everyone has with a website, whether you are a large company or an independent blogger. You can have the greatest website in the world, but if nobody can find it, what's the use? It's not like finding a needle in a haystack, it's like finding a needle in a stack of needles.
So in order to be found in the biggest mall in the world (aka the world wide web), you need to utilize the SEO techniques that major search engines look for. This is not a problem for a website that utilizes the standard CSS/xhtml. However, when you add Flash into the mix, the spiders that are used by the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) get confused and they do not index your pages with the same fashion as a standard coded page. SEO requires the use of proper keywords and inbound links. When you use Flash, these techniques are not readable. The end result is that Flash can have serious negative effects on your websites SEO campaign.
So if these negative attributes of Flash are so bad, why use Flash? My recommendation to clients is always the same in regards to Flash: try to only use Flash in the non-critical areas of your websites. Usability studies do show that users are often captivated by moving graphics. However, after the first few, they are often more annoyed than dazzled. So if you are going to use Flash, by all means, do it. But save it for less critical areas of your website that will not affect the users' ability to view important information. Also, unless you have a specific marketing strategy, only use Flash in specific parts of your websites so that your pages can still utilize the keywords, metatags, and other SEO techniques that are preserved in your CSS/XHTML pages.
Buying a Domain That Works
One of the first steps we do with all of our "start-up clients" is to secure their domain name as soon as possible. For years now I have been told by countless clients how they want to appreciate their domain name because nobody wants to type out something long. I understand their point, however, I must say from my professional opinion, a longer domain name that describes your business or better yet, has a critical SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the best idea you can do.
Internet Explorer 7 and every version of Firefox autocompletes previous domains you have typed in. So the reality is that the user will only type your longer domain name once, so these efforts to make it easier on your potential user is not really that big of a favor after all.
There is a very important book that my company has used for years. It is called "Don’t Make Me Think" by Neilson and Krug. Their basic rule of thumb is right in the title of the book: the less the user has to think the better. So what is easier typing in: a longer domain name or a guess about what a company’s abbreviation might be? At the end of the day, there are a large number of domain strategies. Who is to say who is wrong and who is right. However, as for Farotech, we will always lean towards a method that focuses on usability first.
Internet Explorer 7 and every version of Firefox autocompletes previous domains you have typed in. So the reality is that the user will only type your longer domain name once, so these efforts to make it easier on your potential user is not really that big of a favor after all.
There is a very important book that my company has used for years. It is called "Don’t Make Me Think" by Neilson and Krug. Their basic rule of thumb is right in the title of the book: the less the user has to think the better. So what is easier typing in: a longer domain name or a guess about what a company’s abbreviation might be? At the end of the day, there are a large number of domain strategies. Who is to say who is wrong and who is right. However, as for Farotech, we will always lean towards a method that focuses on usability first.
Win One for the Uff-er
The Phillies are national league champs! And it is an amazing feeling, the last time we were here I was 16 years old. Like probably a million other Philadelphia fans I have been clinging to every once of Phillies news that I can.
Yesterday Anthony Gargano and Glen Macnow were doing dedications to previous Phillies players and staff that really made a difference over the years. It was a really great tribute. Since then callers have been calling in and dedicating this national league championship to certain friends and family. I thought this was a great idea because I have been thinking of someone ever since we won the game.
I want to dedicate this win to Joe Uff. Joe Uff is a hard guy to describe because it is hard to know where fact meets fiction. He was the local version of "Chuck Norris facts". If you know Joe even a little bit you probably have a story. He was a hilarious guy who loved to make people laugh, who loved his Philadelphia Sports Teams more than anything in the world.
Some of the classic Joe Uff Facts (possibly fiction too):
When Joe was in his later stages of his illness it was very difficult to think of things to talk about because I knew that the only thing he did all day was lay in a hospital bed. So we talked about the one subject he had no problem talking about…. The Phillies. He could talk at length about every player, about managerial decisions about who we should get before trade deadlines. He was on top of his stuff. He was also a walking StubHub. Joe had several seats at Citizen’s Bank park. It didn’t matter how sick he was or how frustrated he was about his illness, he was always trying to sell his tickets.
Mark Constan joked about Joe selling tickets in heaven: “I don’t care who ya are Ben Franklin, the seats are $1400 … take em or leave it.”
So this one is to Joe Uff! A one-of-a-kind guy, a super Phillies Fan and a great friend. Me miss ya bro…!
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Uff-er”...
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
Yesterday Anthony Gargano and Glen Macnow were doing dedications to previous Phillies players and staff that really made a difference over the years. It was a really great tribute. Since then callers have been calling in and dedicating this national league championship to certain friends and family. I thought this was a great idea because I have been thinking of someone ever since we won the game.
I want to dedicate this win to Joe Uff. Joe Uff is a hard guy to describe because it is hard to know where fact meets fiction. He was the local version of "Chuck Norris facts". If you know Joe even a little bit you probably have a story. He was a hilarious guy who loved to make people laugh, who loved his Philadelphia Sports Teams more than anything in the world.
Some of the classic Joe Uff Facts (possibly fiction too):
- Joe invented extreme sledding: (a team of nuts who attached wheels to sleds when there was no snow)
- Joe snuck his way into every Superbowl for 5 years in a row
- When your team won a championship and you bought the T-shirt on the way out of the stadium… you bought it from Joe.
- Joe made $80,000 by selling pins at the Olympics in Sydney
- Joe has a picture with every celebrity on E! Entertainment news (especially the drunks ones…. Charlie Sheen)
- Joe could calculate exactly how late you can arrive to a movie to miss the previews but never miss the opening credits.
- When Joe found out he had a week to live, he bought a fully loaded Chrysler 300 and drove down to Disney world with his family and closest friends
When Joe was in his later stages of his illness it was very difficult to think of things to talk about because I knew that the only thing he did all day was lay in a hospital bed. So we talked about the one subject he had no problem talking about…. The Phillies. He could talk at length about every player, about managerial decisions about who we should get before trade deadlines. He was on top of his stuff. He was also a walking StubHub. Joe had several seats at Citizen’s Bank park. It didn’t matter how sick he was or how frustrated he was about his illness, he was always trying to sell his tickets. Mark Constan joked about Joe selling tickets in heaven: “I don’t care who ya are Ben Franklin, the seats are $1400 … take em or leave it.”
So this one is to Joe Uff! A one-of-a-kind guy, a super Phillies Fan and a great friend. Me miss ya bro…!
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Uff-er”...
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
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