Flash Usability Challenge: Aftermath
3
Final Comments
#1
Why is it that Amazon, Dell, Cisco, Yahoo, IBM, eBay and other corporate
juggernauts, have decided against Flash? Why is it that the biggest, most
well-known, most profitable companies in the world don't shove Flash down
the throats of their users. That is something some folks don't want to
answer.
#2
Flash as a tool is fine. I have no problem with Flash, or Flash designers.
However, I still have a major problems with a large fraction of the Flash
sites I see. And, many users have problems with those sites as well.
Therefore, I'm not arguing against Flash as a technology. I'm angry about
the awful experience that some people create for users. Many designers,
especially the good ones, agree with me.
#3
Flash sites tend to be on the fringe, they are hip, and they are cool. But
often, they are annoying, hypnotic, and vomit inducing. Some of the best
entries made me sick!
#3
Like it or not, many people hate Flash. On the other hand, there are a lot
of Flash sites and Flash designers. There will come a time when good Flash
development kills the bad. I'm waiting for the first Flashazon (i.e., a
site that is as good and well known as Amazon, and uses Flash).
#4
Despite what many folks think, I am an advocate for technology change. I
greatly enjoy technology and think that it is critical in our society. For
example, my glasses, watch, cell phone, car, and computer are all very
important to me. When contact lenses went mainstream, I thought it was a
great thing. Digital watches were fantastic (for a while). These were wonderful
advances. Sorry, but despite what many people think, usability is not
about keeping things the way they are. Instead, it is about building
technology around people. It is about creating an excellent experience at
the right time and the right place. Sometimes the bleeding edge is a good
place to be, sometimes it is not.
#5
I now have data that there is a serious disconnect between the usability
community and the design community. For some reason, the two camps are
having a damn hard time communicating. I hope that usability folks realize
that Flash offers some great opportunities. It is a wonderful tool for
some things. Likewise, I hope that designers start thinking more about
their users. The dialog is important and creating the right
language is important or we won't be able to talk to each other.
#6
Despite the staggering installed base, why have so many people ignored the
fact that Flash requires a plug-in? Plug-ins are such a bother. They are
not evil, but they don't always play well with browsers and operating
systems. The point? Small things matter. And they add up. Ignore the
details at your peril.
#7
Many people complained that the requirements were strict. Too bad! If they
were wide open, the contest would have been over in a blink. I care about
profitability. Many people care about profitability. I don't care that
many dot com companies are not profitable. Some of them are profitable. It
can be done without Flash. And, now we know that it can be done with
Flash. We should all be pleased about this!
#8
Why do so many people think that the link between usability and profits is
weak? That's like saying that as quality increases, sales go down!
Usability has been shown again and again to impact the bottom line in
terms of cost savings, decreased learning time, increased perceived value,
and so forth. Usability drives profits. On the other hand, design may or
may not impact the bottom line. It is more of a gamble. I feel that
usability is almost always a better investment of resources since it
almost always improves the bottom line. In other words, if I had the
choice to add Flash to my site or to do usability testing, history
indicates that I will benefit more from usability. As you probably know,
this is not academic question. Companies face these decisions all the
time. I think it is unfortunate that usability usually loses this kind of
battle.
#9
Thanks for spending time here. Thanks for submitting your entries. Send
me your comments (john@webword.com).
Flash
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Aftermath 1
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Aftermath 2
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Aftermath 3
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