[thelist] flash accessibility/usability

[Burhan Khalid]

It was like you were reading my thoughts about this whole Flash thing, dc.
But, I'd like to put a few more logs into the fire (pardon the expression).

First of all, there is a right time for flash, just like there is a right
time to use plain HTML. What of those people who don't carry flash on their
computer? Assuming that people will install flash just to see your site, or
will have flash installed is kind of ridiculous in this internet age. Many
people have it (I do)...and many people choose to selectively allow sites
that are "flash - only" to run.

To echo what has already been said ...

Flash is a tool. Use it when it is most effective. Creating a site in flash
and then creating one for HTML is .. IMO ... doing double duty and goes
toward the planning process. It actually surprises me how many sites have
two versions of their internet appearance. I understand that with WYSIWYG
(oh boy here we go again) content creation programs, it has become easy to
create websites, but a truly enjoyable web [italics] experience [/italics]
takes more than purdy pictures and animation. Ulitmately, the web in an
information exchange medium, so, as web designers and users, our aim should
be to convey, first and foremost, information.  We need to do this in such
a manner so that whatever our LCD scenario is, the user still gets to see
all the relevant information. These days, for any serious web business, the
LCD should be WAP, but that's another can-o-worms.

Now, keeping that in mind, during the planning process, questions like,
"Are we conveying our [italics] message [/italics] effectively using this
strategy" should be coming up. Flash can be a little gee-whiz at times, and
in the middle of all that, the point which you were trying to make (getting
information about XYZ product/corporation/service) out over the information
service (internet) gets lost.

I'm not bashing Flash, or Flash designers. I've, in fact, tried my hand at
Flash myself. However, our ultimate goal is not to impress our visitors
with technitronics, but it is to convey information. This should be the
bottom line for every website design issue. Are we getting our information
across to our LCD?

Just my thoughts,
Burhan Khalid