FLASH: RE: terminal2064 and other mystery sites

[Laura Hamilton]

love death wrote:

> Sorry here it is www.terminal2064.com

------------------------------------------

I have been looking at most of the sites that people have been requesting

checks on, and I have the same comment for almost all of them, but

especially this one:


Don't forget about usability! It's great to be experimental and everything,

but in 99% of sites like this I see the same problems over and over,

problems that give Flash a bad name:


(a) I don't understand what your concept is, since I've just arrived at a

new site and I don't know your background. The site purpose or what you are

trying to convey overall might be very apparent to you, since you created

it, but not to people looking at it for the first time. Can you please try

to be a little more explicit about what we can expect to find on the site?

It shouldn't be quite so mysterious. Within 30 seconds of arriving at your

site I should have some idea of what your purpose is and what is contained

in the different areas so that I can click on only what interests me and not

be bothered with the rest.


(b) Navigation is a complete mystery in this site as well as many others

(like the dancing tai-chi men). Apparently the user is just supposed to be

clicking around on anything that moves or looks like a square, in hopes that

this will bring about some sort of enlightenment. I honestly don't have the

time or the patience to be randomly clicking around on things, only to be

presented with another mysterious st of uninterpretable graphics that look

cool and zoom in and out, but otherwise have no meaning to me whatsoever.


(c) Too much movement! Text is zooming by that I can't read...hold it still

if you want me to read it! I saw that there was some sort of stop button,

but trying to stop the scrolling text at the right moment to have it fully

fit on the screen was too hard. Likewise, there were links zooming around

that I was trying to click on, but couldn't move my mouse fast enough. Your

site shouldn't have moving targets unless it's a game site. Just because you

are using Flash doesn't mean that everything has to move or fade or be doing

something. It's downright annoying.


Be conservative with your Flash, people. It should add to your site, not

detract from it. Moving and zooming every fricking thing on the screen is

just not good usability. Make Flash work to improve your navigation, not

make it totally incomprehensible.


And what's with all the damned squares? Don't make me mouse over everything

on the screen to know what it is linking to. Just show me straight up.


Rantily yours,

Laura Hamilton

Web Designer/Usability Consultant







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