To Flash or not to Flash: A comparative study of interactive Flash websites and HTML/CSS websites
The effectiveness of Macromedia Flash web pages verses that of standard HTML coded pages has been a popular debate subject among clients and web developers alike in recent years. Recently Flash technology has been upgraded to supply web developers with powerful solutions to develop web pages with high level interactivity, advanced animations, unmatched video integration, and more. These features seem to far outdo HTML, but some of HTML's characteristics such as optimum browser compatibility, its text based format, and its search engine compatibility make it a web standard and fast way to retrieve information. This study sought to present an objective suggestion as to which situations are best for the use of either format, based on results from program analysis, comparison, and statistical research. The study shows Flash to be ideal for most product marketing and commercial branding strategies, online presentations that present abstract ideas and emotions, and entertainment sites. HTML was found to be ideal for most e-commerce websites and for presenting other text heavy information.
School:
Andrews University
Department:
Digital Multimedia/Communications
Research Advisor:
John Jennings
Department of Research Advisor:
Graphic Arts and Design
Year of Publication:
2005