How to Use Flash Effectively – 10 Tips for Headers
Posted on Aug 21, 2009 in Articles
Flash headers are becoming more and more popular in a lot of contemporary sites because they can add some motion and life to a site, but do they really add that much value for visitors?
Here are 10 tips that will make your headers dazzling but useful.
1. Your logo/name must never be covered.
It doesn’t matter how ugly it is, your name cannot be hidden. No exceptions. It’s the most important part of your business, so leave it as is.
2. Avoid use off the homepage.
If you must have flash, use it on the homepage. When visitors are trying to access content, moving flash headers can be both annoying and a drain. Looped headers eat up memory, and make computers (especially old ones) a drag.
3. Sounds must be mutable.
If you have a sound or music play along with the flash, there’s few faster ways to get rid of visitors than an annoying techno beat that won’t stop thumping when on the site.
4. It must either end or be endable.
Looping flash animations can be headaches for users who are trying to read content and at the top of the screen there’s images popping around all over the place. This is especially important for bold, attention-grabbing headers.
5. Blend with the site.
One of the most common mistakes of flash is that it has almost nothing to do with the rest of the site’s theme oftentimes. Just because it’s flash doesn’t mean it’s exempt from fitting in.
6. Do not ever move navigation in a flash header.
If and only if you absolutely must include your navigation in flash, why would a user want to chase around navigation items?
7. Just avoid flash navigation (yes this is the second time).
Why is this in here twice? Because it’s so important, and yet overlooked so often. Navigation is best off left without flash because it can cause compatibility, loading, or confusion errors. Just make the smart decision and leave it out.
8. Templates & Flash Headers.
If for some unknown reason, you happen to be using a template flash header, don’t. Everyone has seen them at one point or another, and you lose exclusivity and trust. Besides, they often look awful anyways.
9. Small files are nice files.
Do you want to be the next site where you’re waiting an hour for the site and its flash to load? Keep it compact.
10. Use clear fonts.
Another common misconception is that using flash means you can use ridiculously illegible text. If your visitors can’t read your title or navigation, you’re definitely in trouble.
Those are 10 tips that will make the lives of both you and your visitors easier.
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