[chasw7edinburgh]

Hello, I need advice on good and bad practice. For example, Im currently building a site which a main holding swf, then 6 pages load externally through the main swf. Then inside these 6 pages, i then have more external swf's loading, one of my pages has over 20 externally loaded swfs.
Is this bad practice?? and asking a lot from the computer viewing the site?

Also, are there any real guides for practice? Being a self-taught bedroom educated flash user, I have no real source of this information.

I found this searching flashmove. any further info would be appreciated. Occassionally I do notice my comp choking for more power when running some of my flash docs, obviuosly the cause of dirty scripts - haha

Originally Posted by yendor

Page View is a weekly column written by Aaron West



Flash receives a great deal of criticism from usability and web standards

advocates, and their arguments are usually valid. What the critics fail to

understand is that the designers are usually responsible for the lack of

usability, not the program itself. Flash has the capacity to create usable

sites, but requires that designers follow a few guidelines. That is what I

will be discussing here.



Always Use a Preloader



A common problem with many sites is that there is no preloading image or

status bar. This causes the visitor to perceive the site has either broken

or stalled. Sites often run slow at dial-up speeds, so it is always a good

practice to let the visitor know when a movie is loading. This can be a

static graphic that informs the user that the content will appear after it

is loaded, or a moving status bar that shows how much has been loaded.

Without this, there is a chance the visitor will leave the site, never to

come back again.



If you want some tips on making preloaders, see this post from our forums:



Splash Screen



Let's face it, not everyone in the world has Flash. Sure, the majority of

surfers these days do, but since Flash is a plugin by nature, there is a

chance that the casual visitor won't be able to view the site because their

browser isn't equipped. In my opinion, it is a good idea to always have an

HTML splash screen which informs visitors that the site uses the Flash

plugin. A good habit is to place a graphic and a text link that will direct

users to the plugin download location.



Many people use javascript to detect the plugin and then, if found, redirect

the visitor to the Flash site. I suggest against this, not only because it

can cause problems with some earlier browsers, but it also eliminates the

user choice. It is recommended that you always have an alternate HTML

version of the site, which loads fast and gets to the point. For instance,

people might be visiting in order to find some vital information, perhaps

contact information for the company. Most people wouldn't want to wait for a

lengthy preloader just to get a phone number. Don't take the choice away

from the visitor, because they can always choose to close the browser

window.



Multiple Pages



Has anyone ever told you about a cartoon, and when asked how to access it

they tell you to go to the home page, click there, click here, and then wait

for it to load? This will drive users crazy and discourages people from

visiting the site. When one Flash movie loads and plays others, it won't

have a unique URL. Instead it will have the top level URL that all visitors

use to access the site. Try to publish content pages separately, on their

own page. You can then publish each movie individually out of Flash, and

link to the URL of the page from other movies.



You can generate traffic by placing content on individual pages. If a

visitor wants to send the page to a friend, they can cut and paste the exact

URL into email. You can submit more pages to search engines, which could

result in more pages being listed. This might prolong the development

process, but it is worthwhile when it comes to finding information. It is a

bad idea NOT to do this.



Intuitive Navigation



There has been a recent trend to use ambiguous images as navigation. These

might look 'cool' and might give the site some style, but they don't tell

the visitor what your site has to offer. Most people visiting a site,

whether it is a Flash site or other, will be there for the content and no

other reason. If they can't find it, they will leave rather than spend the

time to look for it. Images for navigation buttons are nice, and will

enhance the look of the site, but it will help if you provide an explanation

of where clicking will take the visitor. This should be done for the same

reason that alt text or corresponding text links should be used for images

on an HTML site.



Lengthy Intros



So you have a Flash intro that you worked on for days and it lasts over 5

minutes. In your opinion, it's the best piece of Flash animation out there.

The intro might even be the prime attraction of the site. Great! Now let the

visitor get out of it if they want. This can be done with a simple "Skip

Intro" button, which can be created either in the Flash movie or on the

published page as a text link. Chances are the visitor will look at the

intro the first time they visit the site, and possibly even the second time.

The visitor will most likely choose not to wait through an intro they've

seen already the next time they visit the site. If you don't give them an

alternative, they will likely close the browser window.



When you place a 'skip' link with your intro, make sure you give them access

to it before the movie loads or while it is loading. Modem users won't want

to wait 20 minutes for the movie to load each time they visit. Put the

'Skip' link either on the preloader or on the published page. If you do

this, some first time visitors will miss your intro, but at least you a get

a second chance. They will stay on the site and see what it has to offer. If

they like the rest of the site, chances are they'll watch the intro when

they visit again.



Communicate With the Visitor



The visitor should always know what's and happening or where the site is

taking them. This is probably the leading usability problem with Flash

sites. The designer, who has an above average browsing literacy, assumes

that the visitor will too. Not true. Let the visitor know what's going on at

all times. Make sure they're always aware of where they are in the site, and

how to navigate elsewhere. Always let them know when they're supposed to

wait, supposed to click, or supposed to watch. If they have to guess,

chances are they'll click somewhere other than the designer intended, which

could cause the movie to fall apart.



After the site is created, find someone who isn't web savvy to test it.

Watch as they are navigating and pay attention to where they click, where

they hesitate, or anything else that confuses them. This will help in making

your site more usable for future visitors. If they can get around the site

without a problem, you've done an excellent job.



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I think most of it is true.



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Email:------&gt;          yendor@tdn.8k.com <Embed Src="http://www.deger.4t.com/yendorxf.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="60"></Embed>

cheers,
chas w