 Pros and Cons of Flash-based Sites
Flash based sites have been disputed to be bloated and unnecessary.
The good:
Interactivity
Flash's Actionscript opens up a vast field of possibilities. Programmers and designers have used Flash to create interactive features ranging from very lively feedback forms to attractive Flash-based games. This whole new level of interactivity will always leave visitors coming back for more.
A standardized site
With Flash, you don't have to worry about cross-browser compatibility. You don't have to worry about how a certain css code looks in different browsers. When you position your site elements in Flash, they'll always appear as they are as long as the user has Flash Player installed.
Better expression through animation
You can use the animation features to efficiently and effectively get a message through. Flash is a lightweight option for animation because it is vector based.
The bad, The ugly:
The Flash player
People have to download the Flash player before they can view Flash movies. Not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your site. You'll also have to put in additional work to redirect users to the Flash download page if they don't have the player installed.
Site optimization
If your content was presented in Flash, most search engines wouldn't be able to index your content. Because of this, you will not rank well in search engines and there will be less traffic heading to your site.
Loading time
Users have to wait longer than usual to load Flash content, and some visitors might just lose their patience and click the Back button. The longer your Flash takes to load, the more you risk losing visitors.
Use Flash only when you absolutely need the interactivity and motion that comes with it. Otherwise, use a mixture of Flash and HTML or use pure text if your site is purely to present simple textual and graphical information. |