[Sigia-l] IA with Flash sites

[Fred Beecher]

Lee -

My experience with these projects has been similar to Anthony's. The
IA's role on these types of projects is a guiding one. The creatives
definitely need to take the lead, but there are a few areas where we
can make the most impact.

1. We can help make sure that all the interactive elements are
obviously and easily interactive. Drop some Don Norman and Fitt's law
into the soup (to borrow Anthony's metaphor).

2. We can also help to make sure that if there is any sort of path or
relationship between the different elements that it is made clear to
the users.

3. Along those same lines, we can help to make sure any textual
content is readable... text isn't too small, users don't have to read
diagonally from bottom right to top left to make sense of the text,
text isn't running off the screen, etc.

4. We can also use our knowledge of user behavior to help them work
within some limitations they may not even consider. For example, my
former company just launched a new website. You enter a URL and get a
page that launches the actual site in a pop-up window, which of course
is blocked by pop-up blockers, thus making the site ineffective or at
least irritating to a significant population of users.

Now, one of the biggest challenges in this kind of project is actually
getting to have any input on it at all. *You* have to make sure that
you are there for all the important meetings and that your feedback is
listened to and heard. Obviously, we're not dictators, but what we
have to say is important to consider... and no one but you is going to
make sure it's actually considered. We have to be assertive without
stepping on anyone's toes, which is always a fun balancing act.

Good luck with your project... you're in for, at the very least, a
very interesting time.

Fred.