Title: Usability
of Flash and HTML Web Sites: A Comparative Study Using a Contingent Heuristic
Approach
Abstract: This
paper presents the comparative study of Flash and HTML Web sites focusing
on usability. Usability testing was conducted by asking participants to visit
Flash and HTML versions of the same set of Web sites. The usability of each
version of the Web sites was measured by a post-test questionnaire created
by utilising a contingent heuristic approach. The results from the analyses
of survey responses suggested that the Flash version, in general, provided
higher usability than the HTML version of Web sites. The results also indicated
that, in regard to Flash and HTML implementations of Web sites, there was
a difference in Web site usability perception patterns between male and female
users, between users with long-term and short-term computer/Web experience,
and between users with fast and slow Internet connections. In addition, it
was found that the purpose of Web sites also influenced the usability of
Flash and HTML versions of Web sites, as perceived by users.