Using Flash in Your Design

published by Dan in Flash with No Comments

Flash is probably one of, it not the most widely deployed proprietary technology that allows the deployment of rich internet applications and web designs today. According to studies, 98% of US web users have the Flash player installed. Flash can enhance the design of your web sites by giving you exact control on almost every part of your design. But improper use of the technology can also give bad effect to your design. There are things that you should therefore consider when using flash in you design.

Using flash in your web design compromises its accessibility. This is becaue flash-based websites are generally not indexed well by search engines unless proper measures are done. One good practice is to specify an alternate content for your site to explain what it is about. This way, browsers without flash player installed can still view your website and this will also allow search engines to crawl your site’s content properly. Most flash-based sites however are still inaccessible by screen readers for disabled users. Therefore, when deciding to implement your whole design in flash, consider if these limitations will limit the usefulness of your site to your target audience.

A good compromise on when to use Flash is to integrate it into the whole design as a part of html. This way, you can take advantage of what Flash can do to enhance your design’s overall impact without really being affected by its limitations. For example, most menu or navigation systems can be implemented in flash. Video and other multimedia components are also best implemented in Flash. Making good use of flash can vastly improve your site’s web design if done the right way.

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