Why Flash May Harm Rather Than Help

We’re all familiar with Flash – it’s the glitzy and literally flashy presentations and functions that have invaded the Internet. Flash may look nice, but used out of control, can cause some major usability issues. Take for instance the Flash splash page. These splash pages serve as the gateway to the homepage and try to force users to watch a clever animation describing what an organization does. Many hours go into preparing this splash page and the expectation is that it’ll drive visitors right into the web site, eyes wide and excited. The truth, however, is that visitors don’t like these splash pages. They’re annoying. They’re slow. And most importantly, they get in the way. You have a short time in which to catch a user’s attention. Flashy animations are too slow and cumbersome to achieve this goal. Unless the Flash serves to supplement content, you’re going to run into trouble. So always make sure your focus is on good content rather than flashy gimmicks.