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Flash Application Design Solutions

The Flash Usability Handbook

  • Book
  • © 2006

Overview

Authors:
  1. Ka Wai Cheung
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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Craig Bryant
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  • Over one million Flash developers worldwide. The book supports the new version of Flash, due later on this year
  • The only up-to-date book that focuses on usable Flash design
  • Mimics Dan Cederholm’s best-selling Web Standards Solutions—broadening the Solutions series

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiii
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  2. Introducing Flash Usability

    1. Front Matter

      Pages xxiv-xxiv
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    2. Flash: Then, Now, Later

      Pages 1-11

    3. Setting up Your Flash Environment

      Pages 13-17

  3. The Usability Solutions

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 18-18
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    2. A Basic Selection System

      Pages 19-39

    3. Navigation Menus

      Pages 41-65

    4. Content Loading

      Pages 67-107

    5. Inventory Views and Selection Devices

      Pages 109-136

    6. Data Filtering

      Pages 139-161

    7. Forms

      Pages 163-194

    8. State Management and Storage

      Pages 197-207

    9. Help Tips

      Pages 209-225

    10. Browser History

      Pages 227-244

    11. Liquid Layouts

      Pages 247-268

    12. Embedding Flash

      Pages 271-282

  4. Putting The Pieces Together

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 284-284
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    2. Planning for Usability

      Pages 285-297

    3. The Usable Bookstore

      Pages 299-307

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 309-326
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Keywords

About this book

Flash Application Design Solutions shows you how to harness the power of ActionScript 2.0 and make the most of the improved design tools of Flash 8 to create usable, intuitive Flash interfaces.

In this book, you’ll find a number of concrete Flash usability solutions that use elements such as navigation menus, data filtering, forms, content loaders, Flash liquid layouts, help tips, and many other features. You’ll learn how each of these solutions actually improves on what is possible with HTML and JavaScript. In each case, you’ll see how users interact with the website feature, and how it gives users the most intuitive, enjoyable experience possible while using your application. You’ll get a step-by-step analysis of how to program and build each solution, and how to make it scalable, maintainable, and reusable.

The book concludes with a case study that showcases the solutions developed in the previous chapters, all working together in a single application. This example puts all the pieces together and highlights just how, with some thought and consideration, Flash can improve usability on the Web.

This book is essential reading for all Flash designers and developers, from beginners seeking valid solutions to veteran Flashers looking for a fresh perspective on application design, interaction, and reusability.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This is a great book, not just in terms of the subject, which integrates usability concepts with an application framework, but in terms of clarity and organization. … The main goal is to explain how to develop complex applications with a rich and efficient user experience. … Each chapter has an introduction to the topic discussed, and then proceeds to tackle the code. … I recommend this book as a tutorial for new developers, and as a companion for experienced developers." (Jose M. Ramirez, ACM Computing Reviews, September, 2008)

About the authors

Ka Wai Cheung is a software architect and award-winning web designer specializing in developing usable web applications. He has a particular interest in creating rich internet experiences in Macromedia Flash and object-oriented programming theory. Having developed over a hundred web applications for industries ranging from law to entertainment, Ka Wai is a lead architect at Dizpersion Technologies, a company focused on RSS content distribution. Ka Wai has written for several online publications and resource sites including Digital Web Magazine (http://www.digital-web.com), ActionScript.org (http://www.actionscript.org), and HOW design online (http://www.howdesign.com). He writes on anything from web standards and usability design to software development theory. He logs his past web projects and writings on his personal portfolio site, Project99 (http://www.project99.tv). Ka Wai has degrees in computing and information systems, mathematics, and integrated science from Northwestern University in Chicago. When not working on the web, Ka Wai enjoys playing guitar, eating foods from all four corners of the world, attending sporting events and soaking up the always warm Chicago sun.

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