July 05th 2002 | Jens C Brynildsen

Flashlight at the end of the tunnel

Through the eyes of a V.I.P.(visually impaired person) Surfing the web, with a visual impairment is not an easy task at times. Although I don't need screen readers at this point it's still hard to find my way around a lot of today's web sites. To appreciate what it's like to have a visual impairment like Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), check out this link www.badeyes.com/visualfield.html It'll give you an idea of how I see the net. Having RP is essentially 'Tunnel Vision'.

With vision like that you might think a person would shy away from all the action that goes on with Flash sites, but that's not the case. I find Flash sites a breath of fresh air in an otherwise boring and static internet.

Flash's ability to incorporate sound into websites makes them ideal for VIP's, while it's not a replacement for screen readers it could certainly come in useful in adding voice overs for graphics (much like alternate tags) or modules for educational purposes.

Some designers might want to take this into account when they give me blue text to read, on a red background, or any other color scheme that might look good on a VW bug, but doesn't do a thing for my lack of vision.

I'm sure it's not just me that has this problem either. The use of sound really goes a long way in bringing out a feel for the web site. It's great for finding navigation buttons, if the designer has used them It's also nice to listen to a little background music when I'm surfing the site, but please give me an off button.

I really like the fact that Flash sites are scalable. If I run across a site where the text is too small to see, then all I have to do is right mouse click and 'Zoom In'. Why some designers leave out the ' Flash Menu' is puzzling.

It's not just the VIP who has a hard time seeing small print. If I come across an animation, or graphic that is too big for me to fit in my field of vision, then all I have to do is resize the browser window, without losing half the site like you do with an HTML site. (If I could just get Macromedia to put in a 'Zoom Out' button, I wouldn't need to do this).

One of my pet peeves is heavy duty scrolling. I like being able to flip effortlessly through a website one screen at a time and I certainly don't like waiting for each new page to load. With my vision it's hard to scroll and figure out where I left off. If done properly, Flash's fluid navigation makes it ideal for this VIP.

While I'm on the subject of peeves, another thing that drives me right off the site is clutter. Too much going on, without any real focus. I'm sure this is a problem for the sighted as well. Just because Flash does great special effects doesn't mean they should be everywhere! I'm an avid Flasher, so I know that a button could be anywhere on a Flash site, but that doesn't mean I should look all over the screen for it. Navigation should be easy, not a easter egg hunt. Take for example, www.eye4u.com or www.balthaser.com there's a whole lot going on with these sites, but I can navigate them with ease.

The initial wait for a Flash movie to load can sometimes take a while, but for the most part they're worth it. I will wait for most of them, but I've seen some that just take way to long, even for this Flash fanatic. Pre-loaders are fine but I don't know why more Flashers don't take advantage of streaming, or the use of levels. One site that utilizes this to it's fullest, is www.kmgi.com It starts playing immediately and each subsequent link loads almost instantly. Sites that give me something to do or read are a bonus. I find this a great way of taking my mind off the loading process.

Unfortunately I've lost the link, but one savvy designer put together one of those slide puzzle games, that I played with as a kid. I didn't even get a chance to finish playing before the site loaded and it was in the neighborhood of 800k. We all know that the average web surfers attention span is roughly 13-15 seconds, if we're to get them on board, we can't let them know they're waiting for something.

Let's face it, 'Flash' sites are just too cool. I know when I go to a site it's like opening a bag of candy with a prize inside. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be treated to some interesting content. It's rather refreshing to see what new and innovative web sites designers have come up with.

A number of sites I've seen on the net these days, make me think I'm watching TV. The peeps at www.romp.com put out some great stuff. I like the spoof they did of 'We are the world'

There are also a lot of games out there that are created using Flash, but unfortunately they are something that I really have a hard time following, with my limited visual field. But hey! With all the great sites popping up like dandelions in my front yard, it's enough to keep me busy. The 'Net' can be a pretty boring place most of the time. Having Flash around has added a whole new dimension for this VIP surfer and believe me there are a lot of us out there!

Keep on Flashing!
Geof Collis

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