Flash Essay, Research Paper
Flash
Although Flash has its place on the Web, current Flash technology has usability problems for three reasons: it makes bad design easier, it breaks the Web’s standard interaction style, and it consumes resources that would be better spent enhancing a site’s core.
Splash pages were an early example of abusive Web design. Luckily, almost all professional websites have removed this usability barrier. However, we’re now seeing the rise of Flash intros that have the same effect: They delay users’ ability to get what they came for. On the upside, most Flash intros feature a “skip intro” button. However, their very existence encourages design abuse in several ways.
First, flash encourages abusive animation: Since we can make things move, why not make things move? Animation has its place in online communication, but making simple text move across the screen a waste of the users time.
One of the Web’s most powerful features is that it lets users control their own destiny. The users goes where they want, when they want. This quality is what makes the Web so usable, despite its many usability problems. Unfortunately, many Flash designers decrease user control and revert to presentation styles that resemble television rather than interactive media. Websites that force users to sit through sequences are boring, regardless of how cool they look.
“Think of your web page as a vehicle that must traverse the Information Superhighway, complete with potholes, roadblocks, detours and rough gravel roads, to reach your customers. A racy sports car will be turned back more often than a utilitarian four wheel drive truck. If your message never makes it to your customer, does it matter how flashy it is? “
(hypbus/solution/flash.htm)
Designers can design usable multimedia objects that comply with the guidelines and are easy to use. The problem is simply that current Flash version makes bad design easier.
The second set of issues is the Flash breaks the standard interaction style between the browsers and there users.
“as flash developers, we must still face the reality that flash is not installed in all browsers. according to macromedia’s whitepaper on flash penetration, flash is now a part of about 90% of the world’s browsers. that may seem like a very high percentage, but population percentages tend to obscure individual people. for instance, if you get a million visitors a month to your all-flash site, you turn away 100 000 of them. and depending on which version of flash your site requires, the amount of people you exclude can be even greater: in june 2000, the flash 4 player was listed as available in 71% to 76% of browsers. again, that translates to roughly 300 000 people turned away from a site that gets a million hits a month. don’t forget that percentages translate to real viewers.”
(moock/webdesign/lectures/ff2knyc/)
Because Flash uses a plug-in rather than standard web technology, some of the the most useful options become useless.
“Flash animations do not respond to your browser’s Stop button or your keyboard’s Esc key, so they cannot be easily turned off. Users must resort to either covering the offending animation with their hand, or, more likely, leave the site altogether.”
“Flash sites render useless the browser’s Back button and address bar, and make bookmarking pages inside a Flash site impossible. Printing Flash pages from your browser doesn’t work, nor does intra-page keyword searching. Finally, Flash sites eliminate HTML links’ visited and unvisited colors, and that color-changing feature is the Web’s single most important navigational cue.”(dack/web/flash_evil.html)
Flash reduces accessibility for users with disabilities, because of its inability to give access to text.
1. “Screen magnification: Software blows up the image on a standard or auxiliary monitor. May also change the onscreen colours or move text from left to right in an inset window.
2. Screen readers: Software and hardware that reads Web pages out loud in a computer voice. On the net, most modern screen readers sit on top of standard Web browsers. You usually control a screen reader by keyboard, not mouse.
3. Braille displays: Despite the common misconception, very few blind people read Braille, and it’s a somewhat inefficient way to handle text-dense Web pages. Braille displays can produce a single line of Braille or many lines.”
( alistapart/stories/unclear/)
The “Find in page” feature does not work. In general, Flash integrates poorly with search engines.
“There is some hope. Macromedia has announced that they are making an effort to improve certain usability aspects of Flash through the Macromedia Flash Accessibility Developer Kit. The kit will contain guidelines, Smart Clips, and sample code to support development efforts. Future enhancements to the Macromedia Flash Player are also planned, allowing access to underlying data within a Macromedia Flash (SWF) file, permitting the text within to be interpreted by assistive devices, a much needed change of direction from a company that has led developers down a dark path for so long. “
(flazoom/news/scapegoat_11012000.shtml)
Perhaps the worst problem with Flash is that its use consumes resources that would be better spent enhancing the website’s core.
“We, as designers who like to use Flash, need to get a better understanding of our visitors. They do not have high speed access (and 60% of your visitors will still be using a modem for the next four years) and due to an overwhelming number of poorly created Flash sites, visitors are not going to sit through a 100k+ download to be disappointed.”
(flazoom/news/cancer_06012000.shtml)
Identifying better ways to support customers by task analyzing their real problems (Flash is usually created by outside agents who don’t understand the business)
“The best way to combat the stereo-types that are developing is to be smarter about how we use Flash. Think about the problem that you are trying to solve before you open Flash and start working. Is Flash the only solution for that problem? Is Flash the most effective solution? Can you solve the problem with HTML? Think about the work you do and remember that what you put on the web is not for you, but for your visitors. “
flazoom/news/cancer_06012000.shtml
Most of the time, the presence of Flash on a website creates a usability problem. Although there are rare occurrences of good Flash design (it even adds value on occasion), the use of Flash typically lowers usability. In most cases, we would be better off if these multimedia objects were removed.
Bibliography
Small, Caleb. “Flash vs. Functionality.”
Moock, Colin. “flash forward 2000, nyc” 25 July. 2000
Dack. “Flash is evil.”
Clark, Joe. “Flash access:Unclear on the concept.”
MacGregor 1, Chris. “Flash: 99% Proof.” 11 January. 2001
MacGregor 2, Chris. “A Cancer on the Web called Flash.” 1 June. 2000
Другие работы по теме:
Kung Fu Essay Research Paper As a
Kung Fu Essay, Research Paper As a six year old child, fighting like a Ninja was a necessary step in growing up. Since most of my six year old friends had hit this stage at about the same
Night Essay Research Paper Chap 1 Which
Night Essay, Research Paper Chap. 1 Which point of view is this story being told by? First person Chap. 2 Describe the conditions of the trains: The trains were crowded with no room to move around. One lady became ill and began to scream Fire. The people on the train tied her up and put a gag in her mouth.
A Walk By The River Essay Research
Paper The sudden, swift, severe summer storm caught me totally unaware. I was walking down Old Salem Road when the clouds started to build. I looked around as I huddled under a large, dead oak tree.
Hiroshima By John Hershey Essay Research Paper
On August 2, 1965, at exactly 8:15 P.M., the first ever atomic bomb dropped on a town detonated above Hiroshima, creating a noisy flash. Many of the people not killed by the initial blast may have wished they were because they suffered greatly. Many were blinded by the flash, which melted the eyes of some. Many others had their hair torn off by the bomb’s power.
Advertising Essay Research Paper AdvertisingWe live in
Advertising Essay, Research Paper Advertising We live in a fast paced society that is ruled by mass media. Everyday we are bombarded by images of perfect bodies, beautiful hair, flawless skin, and ageless faces that flash at us like a slide show. These ideas and images are imbedded in our minds throughout our lives.
Candles Essay Research Paper My science ReportMy
Candles Essay, Research Paper My science Report My science question is: “Do the different types of candle scents affect the amount of time the candle turns into liquid?” I am going to take four different scents of candles, strawberry, cinnamon, pear, and honeydew, all the same size, and do my experiment. My dad, mom, brother and I will all light the candles at the same time and wait to see how long they take to burn.
Wolfgang Kohler
’s Experiment And Insight Learning Essay, Research Paper Wolfgang Kohler’s Experiment and Insight Learning Have you ever been trying to figure something out that you just can’t
Hobbit Essay Research Paper Harley ListonB4The HobbitThis
Hobbit Essay, Research Paper Harley Liston The Hobbit This is a prelude book to Lord of the rings. It starts in a place called Shire, as a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins meats a old friend again, a wizard named Gandalf the grey. The wizard is at the door not alone but with several Dwarfs. Bilbo greeted them all into his dwelling.
Ufos Essay Research Paper Is there life
Ufos Essay, Research Paper Is there life beyond Earth?: Discovering aliens and UFOs For a while now there have been many UFO sightings around the world and many people have become amazed and astonished by this. Many scientists who study extraterrestrial life have come up with a lot of information that points toward the fact that aliens and UFOs are real.
Validity Essay Research Paper Key Terms pp
Validity Essay, Research Paper Key Terms (pp. 344-347) concurrent validity- A classification of criterion validity whereby a new measure correlates with a criterion measure taken at the same time (p. 344.)
The Natural An Article On Roy Hobbs
Essay, Research Paper Roy Hobbs Roy Hobbs. Who can forget the amazing baseball player? Just as quickly as Roy Hobbs came, as quickly he left like a flash of tremendous lightning. He joined the New York Knights in 1947 to what was to become their most memorable season yet. To be there watching Hobbs play was to experience magic.
Untitled Essay Research Paper Jonathan Edwards and
Untitled Essay, Research Paper Jonathan Edwards and Patrick Henry?s biographies and speeches showed a lot of similarcharacteristics, but also many differences, Their speeches both contained incredible powerand impact. Yet the effects and results were hardly on the same subject. Jonathan Edwards was a powerful speaker.
Laser Essay Research Paper The Laser Before
Laser Essay, Research Paper The Laser Before we can learn about the laser we need to know a little bit about light (since that is what a laser is made of). Light from our sun, or from an
A Night In The Rain Essay Research
Paper A Night In The Rain There he stood, in amazement, gazing at, what a few moments ago, had been his ticket to freedom. Then flash, in the blink of an eye, the world was turned upside down.
Narrative Shift Hemingway Essay Research Paper Narrative
Narrative Shift -Hemingway Essay, Research Paper Narrative Shift Hemingway s characters often turn to primitive rituals for comfort. (Donaldson, Vol. 13 in Literary Criticism) It is at this primitive point in each character when Hemingway employs a narrative shift or shifting the narrator s description through another characters point of view.
The Necessity Of Web Pages Essay Research
Paper In today’s modern world, in order to reach the most amount of people, using the least amount of time and money, one must have a web page. A web page is your universal, non-misplacable, chockfull of information, business card. It can display everything that the consumer needs to know, everything from prices to products, from times to locations.
Appraising My Test Taking Skills Essay Research
Paper The advantages of my test taking skills are effectiveness,organization, and good review tools. Thus, the disadvantages are manageable review time and strategy planning. I find myself mostly “stuck” on planning a strategy.
Effects Of Multimedia Essay Research Paper Multimedia
Effects Of Multimedia Essay, Research Paper Multimedia technologies have, in recent years, become an essential part of our every day lives. Many aspects of life; business and home alike, have changed as a result of multimedia technologies, such as the ways in which we do business, and the ways in which we get entertained.
Clasical Conditioning Essay Research Paper Classical ConditioningWe
Clasical Conditioning Essay, Research Paper Classical Conditioning We can see learning taking place all the time, but there is no simple explanation of the process. Psychologists have examined four types of learning; one of these is classical conditioning or response learning. Classical conditioning is the easiest kind of learning.
Pyrotechnics Essay Research Paper PYROTECHNICSPyrotechnics special effects
Pyrotechnics Essay, Research Paper PYROTECHNICS Pyrotechnics special effects are widely used in motion picture production to create all types of effects involving explosions, fires, light, smoke and sound concussions. The types of pyrotechnics materials used include flash powder, flash paper, gun cotton, black powder (gunpowder), smokeless powder, detonator explosives, and many more.
Smoking I Can Stop Whenever I Want
Essay, Research Paper Smoking: I Can Stop Whenever I Want Good afternoon, I can stop whenever I want. Does that sound familiar to you? if it does you are probably part of the 80% smokers who are teens. And studies show, that young
Television 2
Television’s Effects On Children Essay, Research Paper Television’s Effects on Children The American Psychological Association released a warning today about television’s generally negative effects on children.
Anna Karenina Essay Research Paper Anna KareninaLeo
Anna Karenina Essay, Research Paper Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy It had grown quite dark and to the south, where he was looking, there were no longer any clouds. The clouds had passed over in the opposite direction. From there came flashes of lightning and the sound of distant thunder. Levin listened to the regular dripping of the raindrops from the lime trees in the garden and looked at the familiar triangle of stars and the Milky Way intersecting it in the middle with its branches.
My Father In The Navy Essay Research
Paper Analysis of My Father in the Navy This poem begins with a daughter describing her father. She talks about her father as though he is a poster child for the military, describing him as Stiff and immaculate.
Camera Techniques Essay Research Paper To optimize
Camera Techniques Essay, Research Paper To optimize the quality of one s portrait photos, a photographer must combine a series of camera techniques. A photo is a piece of art used to capture a moment in time. For a photographer to beautify the appearance of the photos he takes, he must know how his camera works.
Break Dance Essay Research Paper Break DancingBreak
Break Dance Essay, Research Paper Break Dancing Break Dancing or B-boying is a form of hip-hop dancing, which is popularly known as breaking. It consists of top or up rock, footwork, spinning moves (power moves), and freeze. B-boying came from Bronx, NY. The term “B-boy” or “B-boying” was created by Kool Herc who was a DJ spinning at block parties in Bronx back in the days.
Gangsta Rap Essay Research Paper HISTORY OF
Gangsta Rap Essay, Research Paper HISTORY OF RAP Before we are able to understand the history of rap we must first understand the actual definition of rap music. According to the Rap History Homepage rap is defined as “Spoken words with an underlying rhythm section of bass, drums and keyboard sounds. Words are spoken rhythmically over the music and and the accents in speaking are very important.” Hip Hop is the “spouse” of rap.
Rap Essay Research Paper One of today
Rap Essay, Research Paper One of today s most popular music forms is the art known as rap. Rap is a type of music that dates back a couple of decades. What kind of music is it and where did it come from? Its Rap, it is a wide range of urban music and a type of music that describes the rappers past lifestyle and feelings.
Hiroshima Book Report Essay Research Paper Hiroshima
Hiroshima: Book Report Essay, Research Paper Hiroshima: Book Report ISSUES Briefly describe the issues that are dealt with in the book. This book was vary informative to me. This book mainly talked about the
Robert Capa Essay Research Paper Robert Capa
Robert Capa Essay, Research Paper Robert Capa Robert Capa was born in Budapest, hungary in 1913. Robert Capa is most known for his photographs in war. Known for obtaining photos taken during a war that shows what it is like to be in a war. Showing things like the hardships that soldiers have to endure and the suffering of people whose homes and cities were destroyed as a result of war.
The National Enquirer Essay Research Paper The
The National Enquirer Essay, Research Paper The National Enquirer UFO causes a 40-car pileup The thunder and lightning that disturbed this cold dreary morning was caused by an unidentified flying object. Bob Thomas, a teacher at Orem High School, was driving on the freeway when he spotted a UFO He immediately called 911 on his cell phone.
Invisible Man Essay Research Paper 1
Invisible Man Essay, Research Paper 1. In the Emerson’s paint factory, the narrator first gets a job adding dope to bad paint and then is sent to work down in the basement of a building, where the oils for the paint are produced. The then gets into a
Lack Of Knowledge Equals Troub Essay Research
Paper Lack of Knowledge equals Trouble Witchcraft is a delicate subject for people to talk about. Especially for religious people that think witchcraft is part of the devil work. But this brings another topic in mind, superstition. Superstition means “traditional belief that a certain action or event can cause or foretell an apparently unrelated event” according to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (795).