IQue - Our Twist on the Web

I have been using Flash as a development tool for almost 10 years now, and over that time it has become an increasingly powerful tool for the Web and other media platforms. At the same time, the role of Flash in a website has sometimes been confused, and many people seem to like or dislike Flash for the wrong reasons. So when should one choose Flash? Here are some items about when Flash might not be a good fit:

Website Intros

As a firm rule of thumb, I recommend against a Flash intro serving as a website’s home page. From a usability standpoint, you’re creating a barrier between the visitor and the content they are looking for. We’ve all been to a site where we realize we’re being presented with a Flash intro, and we quickly begin to scour the page looking for the “Skip Intro” button (assuming the developer has been helpful enough to provide one).

Even if a user finds the intro to be worthwhile, will they the second time they visit your site? The tenth? Unless there is a very specific reason a user needs to see the intro before they get to the meat of your site, you should find another way to incorporate it, or leave it out altogether.

SEO Goals

Flash is often portrayed as being at odds with search engine friendliness, and with a good bit of truth. Now more than ever, your site’s content is a crucial part of search engine success. When your site’s content is embedded in Flash, however, it is for the most part invisible to Google and its kin. Over the past few years Google has made baby steps toward properly indexing Flash content. But even with their recent announcement with Adobe that significant Flash searchability was on the horizon, it remains to be seen how successful it will be, or how widely applied.

This isn’t to say that a heavily Flash-based site cannot rank well in Google, but the additional efforts necessary to make them successful must be considered. The bottom line is that if search engine placement is a big part of how you plan to market your site, you should probably avoid a full-Flash website, and keep main content elements outside of Flash.

Content Management

Just like some simple Flash features are difficult or impossible to achieve in another medium, some simple websites features can become awkward or unwieldy when they’re attempted in Flash. Sites that require frequent updates and additions can often become cumbersome when in a Flash environment, particularly if they were not originally developed in anticipation of those changes. In considering Flash for a website, one should consider not only the immediate needs, but what the needs for the site may be in the next one to two years.

Animation

Flash began its existence in 1995 as the humble FutureSplash Animator, a vector-based animation tool for the Web. Since then its power and versatility have grown exponentially, but that animation framework still lies at the core of its identity, for good and bad. When it comes to animation, a little goes a long way. While the visual possibilities with Flash are immense, so too is the need to be judicious in choosing which of those to use.

One common pitfall is to excessively animate a site: menus that blink, images that rotate, sparkling rollovers that would put Las Vegas jealous. I have seen sites where a user literally has to wait 15 seconds or more while each site element individually animates into place. When a client tells me that they don’t want a site that’s “Flash-y”, this is what they’re referring to.

Alternatives

In Web development, there is usually more than one way to skin a given cat. Could a given animation effect be achieved using Javascript or a smartly applied CSS technique? Or if you need to load content without navigating between website pages, it may be worth comparing Flash to an AJAX-based solution.

Form follows function, as the saying goes. The form your site content and elements take should be dictated by the functionality you are trying to achieve. There will be number of instances where using Flash is the smartest solution available for the goals you’re trying to achieve (more on these in a later article). But care must be taken that the goals of the site don’t become secondary to the means used to achieve them. Flash is a great tool in a Web developer’s arsenal, but like any tool, it won’t be the right one for every job.

Once your point person is in place, initial planning for a website begins with inventorying and mapping out the content that will go into its population. Organize your content into 4 primary sections.

It’s always a good starting point to gather and evaluate all of your companies current marketing material. This gives you many areas to build upon and will usually let you know who was responsible for what. You will also be forced to revisit topics such as vision statements, demographic studies, focus group tests (for products) and any other areas of marketing that may need updating.

Once you’ve taken inventory and established your sites initial focus, you need to think about what your main sections are going to be and branch out from there. Your main sections are your main topics to write about. Even if you start with a paragraph per section, that’s better than nothing and a great foundation to build on. It will undoubtedly spark other ideas and needs. Also, having a grasp on content per section/page, will help make decisions on development technologies needed along with specific pieces of functionality to present it.

Now, let’s start to put our initial flow chart together. Notice I said initial, as it will evolve and always be considered a work  in progress. You can use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, Word, Visio or OminGraffle to set your charts up. I usually like to sketch things down on graph paper first and then fill in the details with Photoshop or Illustrator. But, that’s just me.

Always, always, always start with your Home page! After all, this is usually where your domain is initially going to go. Think of it as your reception area that is going to be guiding potential customers wherever they need to be. This must be aesthetically pleasing, easy to evaluate, strategic and straight to the point.

As you’re creating your flow chart, compile lists of topics for each page. These will usually help determine your overall  navigation structure and play an integral role in developing your sites usability. This is also when you would start to tentatively assign individual or group tasks as well. It’s important to know who is going to be responsible in helping you gather the sites’ information and whether or not you need to hire more staff.

At this point, you just need to continue with the process until you have the initial phase of your content map (flow chart) layed out, tons of topic ideas/content blocks written and most of your navigation planned out. And, be sure to always keep your sites’ focus in mind. Meaning, don’t do sections/pages just to do them. Keep things simple and try to get a potential customer to your end result goal as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Keep going through this process over and over again until you feel like an effective content map, with documentation, has been written and ready to be evaluated by a web developer(s).

When it comes to the planning and development of websites or online software applications, content is usually the #1 culprit for slowing the process down or even hindering a launch date.

Planning an online project is very different than most mainstreams of marketing and advertising. It is much more dynamic and, in most cases, requires someone to be solely dedicated to it’s organization and maintenance. However, most companies just try to pawn off the content responsibilities to someone currently on staff who already has a full work load. Then, 9 times out of 10, once that person is able to get something launched it will often lanquish and become obsolete fast. This is where we come in to educate and aid our clients in proper planning and maintenance of a project. One of the most critical stages of a project is in the initial planning phases.

Developing an effective content management model means the implementation of many internal systems that all need to work together. An inventory of information must be taken to see what is currently available and whether or not new pieces of content need to be written. Maps need to be put into place to show a logistical flow throughout the application from section to section and internal employees need to be assigned groups of tasks in order to reach the end result and launch day. It’s a very collaborative effort.

Content will also play a huge role in developing a sites’ usability. Not only do we need to know how the application is going to flow logistically, but how are things going to be organized and presented from page to page, section to section. You need to make sure that your customers have direct access to all pieces of information with a minimal amount of work. Because, they will expect it and it will establish your companies credibility immediately.

I will be posting a series of articles that provide many of the concepts and ideas behind creating an effective information architecture. So, until my next post, ask yourself…

What goals do I expect to accomplish with my website? How do I get there?