No so flash thinking

I think I might be turning into Jakob Nielsen.

In the early days of the web we used to laugh at old Jakob and his stringent usability ideas.

Not any more. Well not me anyway.

Seems like every time I click through to a flash website I find myself wishing they would just get to the point.

I blame blogs.

You see most of my time online is spent on blogs or straightforward info sites like newspapers etc.

So I get what I want with a minimum of fuss. I can also print the information if I want to.

Much better/easier than those flashy flash sites where I have to 'interact' to find what I want.

Web monkeys will tell you this makes for a rich and engaging experience. I say it's a pain in the bum and a waste of my time.

Worse of all flash makes it hard to print what you see.

All of which has me got wondering if the web of the future will be composed primarily of two types of sites: Text & picture or video.

The futuristic equivalent of newsprint and TV. But delivered through the same medium.