Citation: According to the suggestions of Macromedia’s top Flash designers, developers and usability experts, we have collected the top ten tips for creating a Macromedia Flash site with usability.
Based on the advice of Macromedia’s top Flash designers, developers, and usability experts, we have collected the top ten tips for creating a Macromedia Flash site with usability.
These tips are just the beginning and we will continue to provide more research, learning and skills.
1. Remember the user's goals
Users often visit a site with a purpose, each link, each click is in line with their experience and guide them to their goals. When transferring your page, you should have the key navigation links loaded first - in case the user wants to go to other areas of the website. Mimicking the usual user graphical interface can often increase usability.
2. Remember the purpose of the website
Website design should reflect the needs of commercial or customers, effectively disseminate main information and promote brand. However, the goal of a website is best achieved by respecting the user's habits, so the site structure must meet the needs of the user and quickly guide the user to its goals to avoid any corporate and regional jargon.
3. Avoid unnecessary introductions
Although the animations introduced are wonderful, they often delay users accessing the information they are looking for. Users should often be provided with a command to ignore the introduction or the choice to access your home page. When they access your home page the second time, the introduction animation should be ignored for all users (using the client's javascript to complete this function), and then the option to return to the animation page is provided on the target page.
4. Provide logical navigation and interaction
· Ensure the user's navigation: Display the previous address the user has visited and the next address he is about to visit. The pages that the user has visited will be reminded after they are visited by different colors of the link.
Provides users with a link to easily jump out of the part they are visiting back to the starting point.
·Specify the location of each link. Ensure the visibility of the structure and nomenclature of the link, rather than hiding them until the user triggers an event (such as moving the mouse closer).
·Make sure the button defines a good enough reaction area.
·Use the characteristics of Flash streams to first load the main navigation elements.
· Ensure the back button for navigation. To do this, use the browser's built-in forward and back navigation system to divide the Flash movie logic into several pieces and place it in a separate HTML page. As an option, create a Flash-based back button for the movie so that users can use it to back to a scene or frame containing the previous access page.
5. Design consistency
The best way to improve the performance of your site is the consistency of the user interface. The reuse of element structures, design of elements, and naming habits will make users more attentive to the information conveyed by the site when guiding their goals, and this is also conducive to site maintenance. You can use small videos (Smart Clip) throughout the site to reuse interactive elements, and also allow the text and pictures of the original navigation system to be reused in the target page.
6. Don’t overuse animation
Avoid unnecessary animations. The best animation should be an animation that can increase the design goals of the site, telling a story or something helpful while navigating. Using duplicate animations on pages containing a lot of text will shift your sight from the message.
7. Use sound carefully
Sound can add icing on the cake to your site but is definitely not necessary. For example: using sound to indicate that the user has just triggered a time. Make sure to use the sound switch and volume adjustment method, and remember that the sound will significantly increase the file size. When you do use the sound, Macromedia Flash will convert the sound to MP3 files or even stream.
8. For low bandwidth users
The fewer downloads, the better. The initial download page size cannot exceed 40K, including all Macromedia files, images and HTML files. To reduce download time, use vector graphics (unless the image makes compressed BMP, it is best to remain in BMP format), and use the Load Movie action only if the user determines that a file is to be used. If the user must wait, provide a loaded time series and progress bar, and the navigation system must be loaded within the first 5 seconds whenever possible.
9. Ease of design
Ensure that the content of your site can be read by all users, including those with disabilities. Highly using ALT tags ensures that the content of the site can be explained by auxiliary tools. The scalability of the video is another easy-to-use Macromedia feature that allows more users to understand the content of the site. If you need a thorough discussion on the usability of Macromedia Flash content, please log in to the Macromedia Flash usability website.
10. Usability testing
Let some newbies visit the site and complete user goals and site goals at the same time. Even a short Macromedia Flash animation may prevent users from achieving their goals. So use Macromedia Flash's bandwidth simulator (Bandwidth Profiler) (in the test video mode of the view menu) to analyze the performance of the site in different bandwidth modes. Each time, repeat the test video, even a small change, ensure that the testers of the site are demographically consistent with the site's scheduled users - especially among the scheduled users, there are different levels of satisfaction with the site's navigation.
Original address is:http://tech./06/0306/01/
Based on the advice of Macromedia’s top Flash designers, developers, and usability experts, we have collected the top ten tips for creating a Macromedia Flash site with usability.
These tips are just the beginning and we will continue to provide more research, learning and skills.
1. Remember the user's goals
Users often visit a site with a purpose, each link, each click is in line with their experience and guide them to their goals. When transferring your page, you should have the key navigation links loaded first - in case the user wants to go to other areas of the website. Mimicking the usual user graphical interface can often increase usability.
2. Remember the purpose of the website
Website design should reflect the needs of commercial or customers, effectively disseminate main information and promote brand. However, the goal of a website is best achieved by respecting the user's habits, so the site structure must meet the needs of the user and quickly guide the user to its goals to avoid any corporate and regional jargon.
3. Avoid unnecessary introductions
Although the animations introduced are wonderful, they often delay users accessing the information they are looking for. Users should often be provided with a command to ignore the introduction or the choice to access your home page. When they access your home page the second time, the introduction animation should be ignored for all users (using the client's javascript to complete this function), and then the option to return to the animation page is provided on the target page.
4. Provide logical navigation and interaction
· Ensure the user's navigation: Display the previous address the user has visited and the next address he is about to visit. The pages that the user has visited will be reminded after they are visited by different colors of the link.
Provides users with a link to easily jump out of the part they are visiting back to the starting point.
·Specify the location of each link. Ensure the visibility of the structure and nomenclature of the link, rather than hiding them until the user triggers an event (such as moving the mouse closer).
·Make sure the button defines a good enough reaction area.
·Use the characteristics of Flash streams to first load the main navigation elements.
· Ensure the back button for navigation. To do this, use the browser's built-in forward and back navigation system to divide the Flash movie logic into several pieces and place it in a separate HTML page. As an option, create a Flash-based back button for the movie so that users can use it to back to a scene or frame containing the previous access page.
5. Design consistency
The best way to improve the performance of your site is the consistency of the user interface. The reuse of element structures, design of elements, and naming habits will make users more attentive to the information conveyed by the site when guiding their goals, and this is also conducive to site maintenance. You can use small videos (Smart Clip) throughout the site to reuse interactive elements, and also allow the text and pictures of the original navigation system to be reused in the target page.
6. Don’t overuse animation
Avoid unnecessary animations. The best animation should be an animation that can increase the design goals of the site, telling a story or something helpful while navigating. Using duplicate animations on pages containing a lot of text will shift your sight from the message.
7. Use sound carefully
Sound can add icing on the cake to your site but is definitely not necessary. For example: using sound to indicate that the user has just triggered a time. Make sure to use the sound switch and volume adjustment method, and remember that the sound will significantly increase the file size. When you do use the sound, Macromedia Flash will convert the sound to MP3 files or even stream.
8. For low bandwidth users
The fewer downloads, the better. The initial download page size cannot exceed 40K, including all Macromedia files, images and HTML files. To reduce download time, use vector graphics (unless the image makes compressed BMP, it is best to remain in BMP format), and use the Load Movie action only if the user determines that a file is to be used. If the user must wait, provide a loaded time series and progress bar, and the navigation system must be loaded within the first 5 seconds whenever possible.
9. Ease of design
Ensure that the content of your site can be read by all users, including those with disabilities. Highly using ALT tags ensures that the content of the site can be explained by auxiliary tools. The scalability of the video is another easy-to-use Macromedia feature that allows more users to understand the content of the site. If you need a thorough discussion on the usability of Macromedia Flash content, please log in to the Macromedia Flash usability website.
10. Usability testing
Let some newbies visit the site and complete user goals and site goals at the same time. Even a short Macromedia Flash animation may prevent users from achieving their goals. So use Macromedia Flash's bandwidth simulator (Bandwidth Profiler) (in the test video mode of the view menu) to analyze the performance of the site in different bandwidth modes. Each time, repeat the test video, even a small change, ensure that the testers of the site are demographically consistent with the site's scheduled users - especially among the scheduled users, there are different levels of satisfaction with the site's navigation.
Original address is:http://tech./06/0306/01/