Flash in a Website Design

Online, December 15, 2009 (Newswire.com) - A lot of people want to include Flash in their website design (or at some stage of website development) so that they can improve the look and feel of their website and also easily showcase their products and services in the banner.

I must admit that Flash on a website if used properly in a website design is a great way to enhance the visual experience of your website visitors and also providing them quick preview of your products and services.

Some good uses of Flash on a website (without it allowing overpowering your website design or look and feel) are:

 A Flash Menu: I always like using Flash menus as they are a good way to develop a website design that looks modern without making your website too heavy.

 A Flash Banner: A lot of websites use flash in the banner of the websites. If a flash banner is created properly it can really be useful to showcase your products and services to your visitors. However I must admit that only 5% websites I visit use the banners very well. A lot of website designers don't realise that just using flash for the sake of it can actually work against the business. When I visit a website I like to see all parts of the website to reflect the business.

 A Flash Presentation: If you are looking to provide a presentation through your website, the best option is to incorporate a flash presentation. The biggest reason for using Flash is that it's always smaller (if designed properly) in size than a powerpoint.

A lot of websites are created completely in Flash and if done properly and for the right industry it could be a great asset to the organisation. I can be accused of developing a website completely in Flash in the past but the only time we developed it in Flash it was for a music band three years ago. We should also point that the customer has always received good feedback for their website and it has done great wonders to their business. Customers have the capability to listen to their music online. This was a perfect scenario (and excuse) for developing a website completely in Flash. Even at that time we provided a HTML version of the website for people on a slow connection.

In conclusion, I would again iterate that Flash is a great tool but it should be used discretely in your website design. Consider if Flash is going to add any value to your business and your website. Discuss this carefully with your website designer and check if others in your industry have used Flash and how successful it has been for them. Just don't use flash for the sake of it.