When Flash isn't so flash

Flash is a great tool. It allows you to do so much with your site. It provides interactive content and keeps users interested but it's not all upside. I guess it's like everything else in life - great in moderation.

Flash intros - skip or enter?

There are heaps of websites out there that have Flash intros. Their owners obviously spend a lot of money and their designers are obviously really talented. The problem is that not everyone has a super fast internet connection. We don't want to wait around. So what do we do? We click the skip button. I'd love to see the stats for one of these sites and see just what percentage of visitors actually stick around to watch the whole show.

The bottom line?

USEABILITY! It's vital to combine useability with creativity. They have to be in balance. My opinion - for what it's worth - is to do away with Flash intros and use Flash for interactive content where it's important and works well.