Do you really want decorative features in your Web site? We know this is not your priority. Of course, a Web site should look appealing to the eyes of the user, but that does not mean that it is full of animations and graphics. In order to create an appealing Web site, what you need is a simple layout and attractive contents. A simple layout refers to a Web site architecture that does not use a lot of MBs. It also limits the use of Flash contents, graphics, forms and tables. The layout will have the flexibility to add additional features as and when required.
Is it wrong if you add multimedia contents to your Web site? Well, this issue has to be discussed in detail. Some of the Web sites do require Flash contents. For example, a Web site that sells game CDs may require a Flash intro featuring the fictitious characters of the latest game so that it woos young users to the game. This strategy is good; however, you also need to consider the size of the content and the bandwidth available to you. Adding more multimedia contents means that you will be spending extra money for additional bandwidth required. However, if it is essential for marketing the Web site and introducing a special feature of your service, you have no alternative but accept it.
Heavy Web sites with a lot of multimedia contents reduce the usability to an extent. Many of the users are not patient enough to wait for the Flash presentation to get loaded. There may be an undesirably long delay in some cases, owing to the low bandwidth capacity. This will result in frustration among users, and they will immediately close the browser and look for the alternative.
The thumb rule is to avoid Flash contents altogether and focus on the simplest design.
