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Thread: UFlash Usability for the AVERAGE user.

  1. #1
    The Definition of... Urbansory's Avatar
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    Another thing that keeps me from taking my flash designs to that Twilight Zone region. Everyone that frequents these boards are some what quick to figure out the Flash technology. An ordinary user(in this case a client) might not understand how to navigate a site so I tend to keep my designs simple, honestly toooo simple. I 've trashed about 4 sites in the last 3 months trying to create an interface that is good design and concept yet easy for the normal user to navigate. The new site will have a very different form of navigation, well a different twist on a current form.

  2. #2
    Information Architect Subway's Avatar
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    A standart navigation is really the best for a client site.

    Your creativity has to go for the details that makes a site special and professional looking. Typo and color concept is where the most beginners making faults.

    There are a lot of Flash-Designer with a very poor knowing of design rules cause they started with Flash and don't learned the importend rules.

    If you work with bigger teams you realice how much you don't know about all this kind of thing you should look at like:
    -Navigation concept
    -Text writing
    -Advertising psychologie
    -Storyboard
    -Testphase with normal users or the target group.
    -Pushing the corporate identity
    -Bringing life to the site, cause nothing is more worse the a big and nice looking site without updates
    -Speaking with the client about all your concepts, cause no one else can give you better inputs about the content of the site.

    I've looked at many points of this important things when I designed my own company site and all the great mails and reactions from the visitors have show me that I done it right. (the main site was done in two days and one day bevor I've done the concept)

    I know, the site is nothing that blows you away and really nothing that was showing something wicked or inovativ, but it's exactly what client want from you. Easy and fast navigation and a proffesional look.

    My next site will need much more work, cause I want to make a site that has amazing graphics and animations that are not just a "redesign" of a popular site and I want to do this without loosing the easy way to navigate aspect.

    I know you can make a client site without a big concept and all this man power, but you can do this only with clients that don't think much about all this.

    At the moment you can find a lot of portal sites without a navigation concept that goes with the "navigation-rules".

  3. #3
    The Definition of... Urbansory's Avatar
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    Well my next site will be a mix. A mix in that there will be hidden(obvious to the normal flasher, well maybe) effects and navigation controls. This will make it appealing to explore and very simple to navigate. Information design will be my main objective with my latest site, the quick delivery of information to a user with ease.

  4. #4
    War is futile: just drink beer phooka's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Subway
    A standart navigation is really the best for a client site.
    Hi there! The problem is, what is standard navigation? If I am not mistaken, a fully standardized navigation excludes flash completely, and it relies on old, friendly links and the browser "back" and "refresh" options. That is standard.

    However, IMHO, standard navigation is good for experienced users, but WORSE for new users. I mean, imagine the following navigation:

    1) A pop-up opens, eliminating the possibility of browser navigation.

    2) A nice, modulated voice guides the user through all the stages of the surfing experience, with the help of big buttons that really look like buttons...

    This is completely non-standard, but it is much more intuitive that links and by far a much better navigation.

    Regards,

  5. #5
    The Definition of... Urbansory's Avatar
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    I was considering creating a voice navigation site, since my mother is visually impaired. I recall a site some time ago was a feature site on FK that used this concept. I'm still searching for the right voice, but one day I would love to create a site my mother could explore. Also another thing with Flash is that the text is not adjustable like a browser, although you can zoom in how many new user are familiar with that feature.

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