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Site building
A
'FLASH' of brilliance can attract visitors to your web
site
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By
Mark Femal
Beantree Inc.
The exposure
the Internet can provide your business is invaluable in providing
your customers, suppliers, and business partners with relevant
information about your company's products and services. As
a marketing and sales tool there are many techniques that
can attract additional visitors to your Web site and improve
your visibility with respect to your competition. One such
technique employed at companies such as Coca-Cola, Sony, and
even for the U.S. Air Force is by designing content for your
Web site using a product called Macromedia Flash, from Macromedia,
Incorporated. Flash is regarded in the Internet industry as
an excellent tool for building presentations, animations,
and for augmenting a more traditionally designed Web site
that uses graphics and static text. Flash makes use of scalable
vector graphics in addition to audio, form controls, and other
visually stunning effects to engage Web site visitors.
Why use Flash?
Among the challenges Internet content developers face are
the restrictions placed on them by the medium itself. Traditional
Web sites viewed in Internet browsers rely on HyperText Markup
Language (HTML) for rendering the necessary content. Thus,
your pages are interpreted and formatted via the limitations
imposed by the particular browser vendor and version that
your Web site visitor uses. To be able to present a consistent
appearance across a vast number of different browsers many
Web designers face the difficulty of relying on the limited
set of functionality available in most browsers.
Despite the reliance on this design technique, there is a
significant amount of time spent ensuring it looks correct
in a multitude of different browsers. In addition to these
software challenges, the color depth, window size and even
screen resolution of the person viewing your Web site can
also adversely affect the presentation of content. Some content
developers take the risk of relying on special browser features
to add some visually appealing characteristics to a Web site.
It is important to note that these features can cause misrepresented
content to those visitors without that type of browser or
even browser version that is needed to view the content correctly.
These design techniques only serve to annoy the typical Web
site visitor.
According to Jeremy Clark, product manager for Flash, many
of the software challenges and end-user display issues have
been addressed within their software. Through Macromedia's
partnerships with browser vendors such as Microsoft and Netscape,
Flash has gone through the evolution of being an optional
plug-in when originally released to being fully bundled and
distributed directly by the browser vendors themselves. Given
this direction and continued adoption by content developers,
Clark states "Using Flash makes many developers find their
workflows increase and they begin to prefer to work solely
in Flash."
Usability and accessibility
Macromedia has made great strides in educating content developers
in how to use Flash to create content which is useable. This
means concentrating on the original message to be conveyed
to Web site visitors and not simply diluting the message with
glitzy effects. To address the usability concerns, Macromedia
has published a list of ten recommendations to be employed
for creating usable content. These include targeting low-bandwidth
visitors, sparing use of sound, consistent design, logical
navigation, avoiding unnecessary intros, and designing for
accessibility.
According to Clark, "Many developers are not designing accessible
content." Accessible content means that people with disabilities
have the ability to interpret your Web site and not lose any
meaning in that interpretation. This includes providing appropriate
control over audio, narration, and animation. Text equivalents
should also be included on your Web site along with descriptive
names for ALT tags for Braille readers and voice synthesizers.
Content developers should also keep in mind those individuals
who may be colorblind and avoid colors known to cause difficulties.
How are companies using Flash?
According to Clark, many companies are using Flash primarily
to strengthen their branding. For instance, the Coca-Cola
Web site uses the same artwork used in their print materials.
"This allows them to convey the same brand, rather than watering
it down in traditional HTML and GIFs [images]". It easily
scales to the screen size the Web site visitor uses and adds
excitement to the presentation of their products.
Clark states that many companies are using Flash to excite
users about a new product, as was the case for Volkswagen
and BMW. This drives traffic to their Web site and keeps visitors
more interested in the content. According to Clark, the best
use of Flash he's seen on Web sites are those that use HTML
and Flash and you can't tell the difference. They are using
it effectively to differentiate their products and services
from their competition.
Another popular use of Flash is in providing navigational
control for Web sites. This includes visual effects on menus
such as special coloring, fading and expandable option lists.
The creative use of Flash in menus can complement a complete
application such as an interactive virtual tour or product
demo.
Blue Print Service, an Appleton-based plan management and
digital printing company, recognized the compelling use of
Flash for their new Web site at www.blueprintservice.com.
Cameron Gehrke from Blue Print Service states, "Right now
our site uses a little Flash. The amount it uses is eye catching
though. I think it will be noticed because it is something
unique." It is that uniqueness which attracts attention and
adds a little excitement to a Web site. As Clark states, "Many
small to mid-sized companies use Flash the same way large
companies do." The recognition your Web site can gain from
using Flash will allow you to strengthen your brand along
with energizing your online message.
Mark Femal is Lead Technical Analyst for Beantree, Inc.
in Appleton with over 6 years of Internet development experience.
He graduated with a Computer Science degree from the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and can be reached at [email protected].
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