January 19th, 2009 | 
Author: Flash has become the first choice for building interactive web sites and for applications such as an e-commerce store. And why not? Flash has an amazing capacity to grab the attention of the users where you have just a few seconds to impress your visitors to stay on your website for longer. Thus Flash web site design helps in establishing your identity in the highly competitive modern online world.
Flash is much better as compared to the HTML due to the following reasons:
• Flash helps in grabbing the attention of the users.
• Flash also enhances the overall experience of the users. With Flash designers can create excellent web elements such as complex animations or multimedia pages that would be difficult in HTML alone.
• Flash don’t have to be reloaded again and again as the cache file have a copy of the image.
• Practically there is no browser related issue with Flash as it is supported by all of the popular ones.
• Flash helps in highlighting what your web site is all about and what it offers in a very impressive way.
• The Flash navigation bar is widely used in the Web 2.0.
But it is also important for Flash web site designers to know that too much usage of Flash components into a single site can be a hindrance in the site’s popularity chart in the long run. This is due to the fact that Flash components can be irritating for users and it also distracts the users from the USP of your site, defeating the whole purpose of marketing. Hence it is essential to use Flash in a smart way.
So when to use Flash?
It is preferable to use Flash to create a presentation similar to a television commercial. This type of eye catching presentation can easily compel the user to sit back and enjoy the creation of animation, sound, and video. Instead of using Flash for ubiquitous ‘intro’ animations it is better to use Flash in such a manner where the user can view the Flash to learn about something like a product or a service.
Flash can also be used in creating logo in an animated or interactive way. For example say a spinning or moving logo when used makes a webpage look more responsive. Or make the navigation bar of your Flash web site highlighted with buttons that change colors or make a sound when clicked by the visitors. Or use Flash to create an advanced menu system where with a click of a button a sub-selection menu makes an appearance.
For dynamic web pages, the whole site must not be designed with Flash components. But in case it is required to build the entire web site in Flash, then make sure that there is an option for the users to view the site in HTML format.
A Flash web site can be designed by hiring professional web designers but if you are in a hurry, you can go for Flash web site templates with which you can have your web site ready within minutes. Whether you want to design a Flash web site by professionals or by using ready-made templates depends on your budget and time frame.
Cyrus is a website designer who is an expert in creating Flash web site and writing about them. The articles on Flash web site design and templates have been published in various newspapers, magazines and web portals.
Article Source: Know the Smart Ways to Use Flash Successfully
