Try not to make animation the
centerpiece of your Web pages. Animation should be purely decorative. Don't
include any important information in the animation because some visitors to
your site, like the visually impaired or people browsing with graphics turned,
won't be able to see it. If you're using Flash, keep in mind that not everyone
will have the necessary plug-in. And, believe it or not, some won't want to
download the plug-in.
Most people will come to your
Web site for the content, not just to admire your creative skills. So, try to
use animation sparingly. By positioning an animation near some texts, the
animation can add to the page rather than overwhelm it. Or, you can use
animation on an introductory page (often called a splash page). A
splash page welcomes visitors to your site. Many Web authors craft
often-elaborate Flash animations for their splash pages.
Also, consider the size of the
animation. Your file must be small enough to load in a few seconds, and no
larger than the smallest screen resolution you'll encounter (usually 640 by
480). If an animation is too big and takes to long to load visitors are going
to leave your site, never to return.
Here are a few ways to reduce
the size of your animations:
Build an animation with the smallest images possible.
Use images with less than 16 million colors.
If you're using frames-based animation, try to use a
maximum of 12 frames per second. Or, use a type of animation that doesn't
require frames.
Also, try to use simple images.
They're a lot easier to manipulate than complex ones. You won't lose any detail
when they're displayed in a Web browser.