Comments on: The web designer’s Pre-flight Checklist.

By: Alex Mos

Alex Mos — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:08:46 +0000

Nice list! Cheers

By: Hilary Paprocki

Hilary Paprocki — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:11:23 +0000

I just wandered in here because I want to learn something about this stuff, but let me say this. I just today loaded Flash after banning it for all this time because of the egregious intrusions and garish face-blasting that it represented. If you say that people are getting more civilized, I’ll use it….if not, out it goes. I don’t need to do business with anyone who has to shout at me.

By: Lara

Lara — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:58:33 +0000

Nice ideals Robb, however let’s hope that the search engines “catch up” and decide that they can figure out how to read the bare bones of a Flash file by then. Because as it stands, you simply CANNOT optimize a site for the search engines that’s been designed entirely to rely on Flash. It just doesn’t happen.

By: Robb

Robb — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 19:59:48 +0000

Hi guys,

I agree, for now, goin flash is a bit overboard for most or all sites we see. In the next few years it is projected most houses in the US (where I am) will have broadband access, and by that time I think flash will become more used…

Flash is not one of the pass-through items that will fade out, I do think however it will find more usefullness, as people learn to code complete user interfaces and intertwine them with database solutions in a manner that keeps the overall file size compressed and the download times relatively quick, even downloadable on the old 56k.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 18:20:41 +0000

Hi Lara,

Every few years a new hot-item pops into the web-sphere, and every time people loose sight of the goals of most websites:

“The purpose of the majority of business websites is to provide information to potential customers.”

- -

These days, we have the obsession with Web Standards and code validation. These things are not bad in of themselves (they are actually very good in theory,) but people have put WAY too much importance in them … at the expense of speedy and practical web design!

By: Lara

Lara — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 14:16:45 +0000

“The point is that you need to let the goal of the website dictate what technology you are going to use, and not what the flavor of the month happens to be at the time.”

Finally! Someone said it perfectly.

I get so frustrated with clients/people in general who try to ‘demand’ flash intros or flash websites. My main goal is simple, clean design and exceptional optimization and marketing. I’ve actually had clients use the argument, “But non-flash sites are soooo borrrring!” The whine repeats and I find myself stammering over my words trying to explain to them that distracting your site’s visitors with flash today is equivalent to 8 years ago when everyone had flashing, spinning “E-Mail Me!” graphic links. (8 years ago? I still see current sites with that kind of junk on them… )

The purpose of the majority of business websites is to provide information to potential customers. Not to impress them with your “non-boring” website by using Flash, but by providing GOOD CONTENT and functionality. Sure, you want it to look good, but there’s no need to set off fireworks to get people’s attention. If they’re at your site, they’re already interested.

Thanks Stefan, for giving me the right words to use to make that point clear!