Special effects on websites: on flash elements
Websites have really matured over the last few years and most of them are much more professional looking than they were just five years ago. The result is that there is a feeling that you have to add features to your site to keep up. This may or may not be true but if you are going to add things like special effects to your site you have to make sure that you know how to use them.
The use of special effects on websites particularly flash elements is controversial amongst web designers. There are those who think that they can really enhance a web page and should be used whenever possible and those who think that they should never be used. The truth falls somewhere in between. There are times when it makes sense to include flash elements on a website but you have to be careful and not over do it. Used incorrectly they will really irritate your visitors and that is the last thing that you want to do.
The reason that you would want to include special effects on your webpage is if it can enhance the experience for your visitor. Flash elements can be used to make your site more interactive for example or they can be used to add animation to your site. This can be very useful if you need to demonstrate how to do something for example. When you have good reason to include these features on your site they should definitely be included. But before you do make the decision to include them on the site take some time to consider whether or not they are really necessary.
Most of the time when flash elements are included on a site they are not necessary. Web designers frequently include them as a way to show off their design skills; unfortunately it has the opposite effect. A lot of web designers think of themselves as graphic designers and adding these elements gives them a chance to show off this skill and demonstrate their creativity. The problem is that a web designer's job is to design a site that works properly and is easy to use. In most cases when you start adding unnecessary flash elements this does not happen.
The problem with adding special effects is that they really slow down your site. It will take much longer to load and this is going to cause a lot of visitors to simply leave. Even worse is when your visitors have to sit through a flash intro. It used to be common to have flash intros to websites, until people figured out that visitors hated them and would normally just leave sites that had them. When you are designing a site the most important thing is to make sure that your visitors have a good experience. The best way to do this is by keeping your site as simple as possible.