RE: FLASH: General role of Flash in webdesign...

[Verhaegen Tom]

Hi All


I agree that there is a short of standards and rules in the flash-usage,

Flash is a technologie wich can be a benefit or a hasard. We have to use it

in a very efficient way.


In my field of work i'm more concerned about the limitations and

possibilties of the flash-technologie. I must now wat it can do for my

applications, i don't have to worry about custommers (in a previuos live i

had to do that all the time) or potential visitors.


I use Flash as a "sitting duck", who takes commands of the server and

processes the received data into an interface.


Maybe setting up standards and rules is a very good idea for all of us.


if you have figured out your own rules... just send them.


Tom Verhaegen

--

GUI Engineer

tom [dot] verhaegencarels [dot] com

 <

tom [dot] verhaegencarels [dot] com (mailto:tom [dot] verhaegencarels [dot] com)

>

--

Carels innovative Software

Derbystraat 33

9051 Ghent

Belgium

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tel.+32(0)9 222 99 88



-----Original Message-----

From:

ownerchinwag [dot] com

 [

ownerchinwag [dot] com]On">mailto:ownerchinwag [dot] com]On

 Behalf Of Antoine

Valot

Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 4:53 PM

To:

flasherchinwag [dot] com

Subject: Re: FLASH: General role of Flash in webdesign...



Russell,


That was my point exactly: Useability principles can be applied to

Flash. Nielsen doesn't do it, but it doesn't mean WE can't do it.


Different tools, not different rules. As long as you help your user

achieve their goals, it doesn't matter if your interface is Flash,

DHTML, or plain text. I remember some highly useable gopher and FTP

sites from the days before the web. Hell, I remember highly useable

paper documents!


What I'd like to see is a site or column devoted to Flash useability.


Hmmm... maybe I should start one!


Antoine Valot



"Russell E. Unger" wrote:

>

> Oh....careful here.  Remember that these are opinions.

>

> I just spent a great evening speaking on Flash and Usability with the

Chicago WebGrrls and there are

> a lot of points that can be countered from below.

>

> In usability testing, a lot of testers find Flash to be an annoyance and

will simply cover it with

> their hands or shut it down when anything pops up.

>

> I don't want to go on and on and on with the topic; I just want to point

out that there are several

> issues on both sides of the fence here.  You may be better off talking

with someone at a Usability

> Testing lab (i.e. Human Factors) to see what their input is on the

subject.

>

> There simply is a lot of improvement that can be done to increase Flash's

usability, as with

> anything else out there.

>

> Russ

>

> Antoine Valot wrote:

>

> > Jakob Nielsen's writings are anything but ramblings. His useability

> > column raises all sorts of good issues, and should be read as one of the

> > few really useful info sites on the subject.

> >

> > However, and point that out to your bosses, Jakob does his column on

> > HTML web design, not on web design as an absolute. He simply has never

> > covered Flash, probably because it's too new of a technology for him to

> > have had a chance to comment on it.

> >

> > His useability principles still apply, in spirit, to Flash sites as well

> > as HTML. So a Flash site designed for useability and effectiveness would

> > please Mr. Nielsen more than an HTML one that is counter-intuitive for

> > the user. If Nielsen only knew how much Flash can do for useability,

> > when used correctly, he's call for a dumping of HTML in his column.

> >

> > Try telling them that. It might work well because, what you'd basically

> > be telling them, is that they would be smarter than Nielsen himself by

> > using Flash. Bosses love that kind of logic!

> >

> > Antoine Valot.

> >

> > >

> > > Wednesday, May 24, 2000, 12:02:36 PM, Verhaegen Tom

>

> > <tom [dot] verhaegencarels [dot] com> wrote:

> > > > To be franc, i changed Job ;-)

> > >

> > > First, I have to earn some money to back me up. ;-)

> > >

> > > > The only way the convince the clients is to make a studie. A studie

in

> > > wich

> > > > you screen there compatitors and the technologie they use. If that

doesn't

> > > > work you can pull out the statistique of the flash usage.

> > >

> > > Do you have an URL for good webstatistics on plugins etc.?

> > >

> > > > I have taken a look at the Jacon Nielsen and I even haven't read it

(it

> > > just

> > > > not attractive and it doesnt invite me to read it.

> > >

> > > Me too! I looked over it shortly and closed the browser window.

> > >

> > > > If a company gives a business-presentation they try hard to look

good, so

> > > > way should there website look like &%#$@@%^. A web site is an extra

> > > office,

> > > > so make it look good and the people will enter. (maybe this is an

> > > argument)

> > >

> > > That's what they already do consider. Despite the "negative thinking"

> > > of the programmer (uses only Unix and Lynx), who is one of the two

> > > bosses I have, we use graphics to put life into a website.

> > > (Imagine complaining voice: 'But no Flash...')

> > >

> > > Sincerely,

> > >

> > >    Thorvald Neumann

> > >    Medienentwickler

> > >

> > > --

> > > TSE GmbH Neue Medien, Hovestr.14, D-48351 Everswinkel

> > > Tel.: +49-2582-66180 - Fax: +49-2582-661833

> > > http://www.tse-online.de/

> > > http://www.schlemmen-im-muensterland.de/



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