Web design guru sees Flash challenges

from News.com

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-976586.html?tag=fd_top

good article -

Personally, I don't like flash sites much, that article sort of tells why. (and not just because I suck at it! :D)

you see similar bad usage with photoshop, too. Any kid with a hacked version of Photoshop can make a crappy design and trick the un-educated client into thinking he's the sh*t.

Fortunately, the fine people in this forum are good designers who are aware of such issues as: download time, file size, color harmony, typography, copyright issues and practical usability.

jakob neilson is the devil. at least to most flash users. he's what happens when you let geek programmers out of their cages.
flash isn't bad, it's just used badly often. i wonder what he'd call a drop down menu. flash sites can be somewhat frustrating sometimes, but i've seen a swackload of danged homely html sites out there, and i'd rather not stay in the stone age. if you dumbed down every site enough for the average user, you'd end up with google.

I agree flash isn't bad, but it is used phenomenally bad in 9/10 cases.

and there is certainly nothing wrong with google... that's a really great site. it's nice to see a site that realizes it's purpose, and make it easy to do that one thing. as opposed to every other search engine that has so much other crap all over the place it's almost impossible to find the freakin' search box.

personally, for me, the best uses for flash are hybrid sites made with flash and html. flash navigation with html or just flash made inserts to provide abit more interesting movement than a gif or jpg.
also, you have to target for your audience, which in truth most people don't do. commercial sites, keep them clean, easy to navigate and have as few clickthru's as possible.
i wouldn't expect the average user to have a clear idea how to use a more experimental site like : http://cmart.design.ru/
but i would expect them to understand how to get thru something like this: http://www.lotusbar.com.au


google rules, i don't think there is any better.

My thing is... if you are going to use Flash, then do something creative with it that you absolutely can not do with HTML. I see a lot of people using Flash for simple rollovers and stuff in navbars, and it would be so much easier to just use a gif for things like that. I just think if you are going to use it, use its strengths and make something worthy of the medium.

I agree with ya, Deker.

but, for a grand example of why NOT to use flash, see this living, breathing faux-pa by Direct TV.

A challenge: see how long it takes you to find out what Hockey games are on tonight.

http://www.directtv.com/

http://www.directvsports.com/Schedule/
2 minutes

I SO agree with you deker.
Flash is a great piece of software, there really isn't a way around it, but ppl (including myself some time ago) use it for making silly things that just doesn't need the plug-in.
As you said, rollovers. A small loading animation, a...whatever. It's very rare that things really n-e-e-d to be done in flash.

Oh, and that direct tv site....I closed the window so very fast. lol. :D

I love flash, I know it can be used very badly a lot of the time. But Photoshop and Flash are in my opinion a deadly combination. Since Flash has allowed more back-end integration sites which are being created now are amazing. Sorry, just landed here from planet Flashkit.

But I love Photoshop just as much as Flash.