When Good Flash Goes Bad

I don't believe Flash is 99% evil or that Flash is 99% good. Flash is a tool.

Flash is a tool and like any tool it can be misused if it's used incorrectly. If you're cutting down a tree for firewood, a chainsaw is a good tool for the job. If you're trying to taper the leg of a table, a chainsaw is not the right woodworking tool.

Designers — like woodworkers — often make two fundamental mistakes. They confuse:

1. CAN with SHOULD. Yes, you can use a chainsaw to taper a table leg, but should you?
2. WANT with NEED. People want a Ferrari to drive to work, but they need an automobile.

While there are no ironclad rules when you should or shouldn't use Flash, a little common sense can be helpful. Ask yourself the following questions:

• If I use Flash on my site, will it cause people to write me checks with lots of zeroes in front of the decimal point?
• Can the same effect be achieved with HTML and graphics?
• Does Flash get in the way of the user such as increased wait time or visitors who don't have the plugin?
• Has any important customer called up and asked, "Why aren't you using Flash on your site?"
• Do the people suggesting Flash have any vested interest? (Flash designers)
• Do the people suggesting Flash work in the marketing department? (Marketing people, like myself, are mesmerized by shiny things.)

For reasons known but to God, there's something about Flash that causes otherwise normal people to use other bad design techniques they wouldn't normally be inclined to do if they were working with HTML like:

• Splash pages
• "Mystery Meat Navigation" — especially the animated kind.
• Small text. Really, really small text.
• Having Flash automatically load background music.

There's a whole chapter in my book covering the appropriate (and non-appropriate) uses of Flash.

How Flashy Web Sites Can Turn Off Customers

Nice article, made nicer by my quotes <grin>. Check out their technology page for other interesting topics.

How Flashy Web Sites Can Turn Off Customers