Do Geeky Web Users Like Flash? Probably Not.

In a recent ClickZ article, “Flash, AJAX, Usability, and SEO,” Shari Thurow gives great feedback from a focus group her company conducted.

Using IT managers, she wanted to see if they liked using Flash- and AJAX-designed sites (the theory being, these people oversee programming departments; hence, they appreciate these sophisticated technologies).

Wrong!

Here is some of the feedback Thurow got from the IT managers in one-on-one usability tests when confronted with Flash and AJAX sites:

“The site wastes space. I am very busy. I hate it when sites like this waste my time.”

“I want to get down to business. I want to see things. What’s with this [expletive] animation thing?”

“This area takes up way too much space and doesn’t give me any information. Where’d the navigation go?”

“I’ve seen sites where they use that technology well. You can click on parts of the graphic and it takes you somewhere. This graphic is too big, does not tell me anything, and keeps up this annoying flashing when I am trying to do something else.”

When working with your designer (or design department), make the case that Flash, animation, and other “cool” things, when used inappropriately, waste people’s time, make them angry, and ultimately lose sales.