Is Flash Still an Option for Interactive Web Design?
When Adobe announced their decision to stop Flash development for mobile devices, we certainly weren't surprised. It's been a year since we've had any requests for Flash of any kind. But if you've been hearing that this is the end of Flash altogether, don't think that means it's time to toss it if you've got it.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
When styling practices started moving away from tables-based layouts (way back when) there was a rush to convert anything and everything to tableless layouts with CSS. While many sites really did need to overcome some huge inefficiencies, others that were working perfectly fine in tables underwent redesigns just to be able to say they were now up-to-date. In reality, they could have waited until the need to change arose.
While mobile is growing and eventually we'll all want to have our sites accessible from any device, that doesn’t mean we all need it immediately.
Analytics
Check your analytics. If you don't have a very large mobile audience yet, and you're already using Flash effectively—then keep it! There's no reason to get rid of a perfectly wonderful experience built in Flash if your audience is accessing it just fine.
HTML5 for Mobile
If after checking your analytics you find that you do have a growing mobile audience, then HTML5 is the way to go. Along with Adobe's Flash statement, they also said they would be contributing to HTML5 for mobile. It’s universally compatible with mobile devices (iPhone, Android and beyond). The downside is that it isn’t completely functional in all desktop browsers yet.
Beyond the web site
Let's not forget, Flash isn't just for web sites. It's been used to create some amazing applications for use at tradeshows and conferences. And the great news is that these applications aren't affected by the mobile barrier, so Flash is still a great option for creating them.
At Sandstorm, we love the beautiful interactive work that has come from Flash. The Johnny Cash Project is one of our favorites. We even built an interactive conversation for a large insurance company. And while we'll always have a soft spot for Flash, we’re also extremely excited about the opportunities HTML5 creates. Regardless of the technology, we're just happy to be building powerful interactive experiences.
