Users will deal with the Flash portions of the site with the same learned preferences that they do for similar media. By integrating Flash into a web site using the same practices as one would for animated GIFs or Java Applets a web site can improve the relationship it has with its visitors. The visitor has established preferences how to deal with the Flash and therefore trust in the site is improved. Good user design is an important part of the success of any commercial site. Companies are competing head to head with other sites offering identical services where the only factor between the success of one site and the failure of another may be a good interface.
Flash can be a powerful tool to assist a site in providing a better user experience.
As designers we have to look past the 'flashy' features of Flash and start thinking about how it can make our sites better and easier to use. By doing this designers can start to combat the view that Flash is a ' Cancer on the Web ' and turn it into a respected web technology. Ciao, CHris I'd love to hear your thoughts. This means that the user may miss parts of a Macromedia Flash animation because the window with the Macromedia Flash is buried beneath other browser windows. Offer the user the option of having an audio alert play after the content is loaded.