Anyone who knows web design knows that Flash animation, developed by Macromedia, is one of the hottest technologies on the web. Because Flash is vector-based, the file sizes are extremely small. This means fast streaming animation, with special effects, sound, and even interactivity. Flash elements can include simple text or button animations, scrolling text, slide show pictures and even movies, complete with sound. Flash is a technological achievement and a designer's paradise.
Anyone who knows usability, however, knows that Flash routinely and gratuitously violates fundamental usability principles and irritates users, to the extent that the 'Skip Intro' button is almost a mandatory requirement on any Flash homepage. It seems just a little ironic that the designer who created the gorgeous, image-rich, musically-enhanced movie unfurling on your screen is the same one who realised the importance of allowing you to sweep past it with nothing more than an exasperated sigh.
Flash-induced user rage is not the fault of Flash, nor of Macromedia. Nor even of the designers who use it, although it is really only they who can mollify us. The problem is that the very nature of Flash, sophisticated tool that it is, is directly at odds with many of our most basic desires and expectations when surfing the web. The trick is to know when to use it, and to use it sparingly.
Why we Skip Intro
- Flash means delay: Finding the right Web site takes time. Cruising through search engines and following links is sometimes fun, but often frustrating; getting to where you want takes skill and practice. Which is why it can be so infuriating to reach the site you think you really want, only to have to wait for several seconds for the Flash movie to play, before you are permitted to know for sure. It's not that no-one enjoys a Flash movie, but few people entering a Web site are there to watch movies. They're looking for information, often quite specific information; or are planning to interact with the site in a specific way. Mentally, they have a goal and a plan. Flash interrupts that process. Also, many Flash elements take time to load and require a special plug-in to be installed before they can be viewed.
- Flash doesn't add enough: Some people will forgive an elaborate Flash animation if it contains genuine content, or is the end result of the user's search. Sadly this is almost never the case. Even when it does contain content (such as a presentation or animated demonstration), the user has less control over stop, start and pacing than over a sequence of web pages, and is unable to click on anything within the Flash screen.
- Flash means distraction: Anything moving on a screen is notoriously hard to avoid. Our perceptual abilities are wired to make us pay attention to moving over stationary objects, particularly when the movement is just outside our focus of attention. A looping animation sequence, or anything blinking or moving, will always interrupt our focus and distract us from our main goal.
When Flash can Work
Flash is powerful, and by that token, a little goes a long way. Successfully implementing Flash in your web site requires an appreciation of its strengths and where to use them:
- Flash attracts attention: Flash is distracting because it makes you look. Use that to your advantage by creating small, smooth animations which draw the user's attention to something you want them to see, such as a new or updated item on a busy screen. An animation which overtly points to the item is better than one which just flashes; and an animation distinct from the item is better than animating the item itself.
- Flash shows transitions: Something which transitions from one state to another can be more clearly shown by a good animation than by any number of words. Instructions for operating machinery or illustrations of mathematical concepts are good examples, as well as the use of animation to show change over time, such as the tides or weather formations.
- Flash can clarify: complex visual displays containing multiple levels of graphical, textual and numerical information can be broken down into simpler layers which come forward or recede according to where the mouse clicks or hovers. Flash is also the clearest and most effective way to illustrate 3D images.
Joanna Bawa is a usability consultant and technical writer. She has worked with small agencies and large corporations for the past 15 years to analyse, review and improve upon the quality and usability of their information.
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