The Flash Header
UPDATE: 7/30/08
I’ve killed the flash header. It wasn’t doin it for me. It might come back soon.
What’s the deal?
The Short Answer:
They’re little experiments in interface design. If the animation it’s too much for you, you can probably stop it by clicking on it.
The Long Answer:
I’ve been working with Flash for a few years now, and I’ve seen it progress from an animation tool to one that’s capable of rich interactivity. The development of actionScript (the programming language behind Flash) has turned Flash into a powerful platform that’s making a large impact on interface design. The process of experimenting with Flash has brought up several very important questions regarding the designing of an interactive experience. For example, does the hand cursor always need to be used to identify something as “clickable”? What sort of “real life” conventions can be replicated on-screen (folders with content inside, tabs to show / hide info, roll-over buttons that look pushed in)? How far can I push the envelope before people will get confused?
I’ve always been a fan of sketchbooks, so this is one for Flash. It is my hope that in regularly practicing this, I’ll start to get a better understanding of interface design, and interactivity as a means of communication.
The Source Files:
horiz_experiment_header.fla = the swimming cubes
circles_experiment_header.fla = the spinning madness
