Design Thoughts

When to use Flash

What is Flash?

In 1998 Macromedia introduced its Flash Player, which opened new doors in terms of online media delivery.  It was quickly hailed as the next big thing for the internet and was accepted by website developers everywhere immediately. Developers and designers alike began to use Flash to create websites - entire websites - using Macromedia’s tools because it was faster than using HTML and produced some cool effects. Ten years ago that was fine - but it’s been a decade and it is time to move on.

What Flash is for…

Flash is a dynamic Media Delivery Tool.  It can delivery video, audio, and animations faster than any other platform and nearly every internet user can take advantage of this without needing to install a thing on their computer. With the recent introduction of Flash Media Streaming, we can now stream live or pre-recorded HD video directly to users. In this area, Flash is irreplaceable due to outstanding market share.

What Flash is not for…

It is not meant to contain an entire website, nor is it meant to create fun slide shows of pictures. It is not meant to be used as a website form. Mobile devices are only beginning to support Flash, meaning those ‘beautiful’ Flash websites don’t work on phones. Another common misconception is that Flash impresses people.  As a creative director, I cannot count the number of times I’ve been asked to create a ‘Flash Intro’ for a website. I’ve refused an equal number of times since people do not watch these things.

The bottom-line?

Flash continues to be a wonderful tool for website designers when used correctly. I have and will continue to use Flash anytime it makes sense, but I have found that our developers have found equal, if not better, ways to produce the same results with Javascript and HTML.  Results that work on almost any device - even mobile phones.

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