by Idea Lab

There are so many new and exciting features of HTML and other "bleeding edge" technologies, but often it’s hard to decide whether to use them or not. Before deciding to write the pages at the edge of HTML, there are some things to think about:

How many new features are on the page already?
If a page has too many flashing lights, gizmos, and special effects, your readers may be turned off rather than impressed. Also, things like java applets can take up system memory for the readers and can cause their browser to crash if there is too much going on.

A good rule of thumb is to limit a page to 1 special effect of any kind.

What effect is trying to be achieved?
Try to design pages with purpose. If a rollover is desired, add it to the areas of the page that might not be clicked on if attention isn’t called to them. Use dynamic positioning to serve a purpose.

Fancy effects that are effective will enhance a Web page rather than detract from it.

Can you achieve the same effect with an older technology?
The older the effects are, the more likely it is that it will be supported by multiple browsers. If a motion effect can be created with an animated GIF, more people will get the point of the page than if using layers and dHTML.

The more a site can be kept browser non-specific, the more readers there will be.

If wanting a browser specific effect, have you thought how other browsers will see the page?

Even though a site may want people to only view its own page with with Internet Explorer 4.0, a site can’t control what browsers people use. Browsing sites with Netscape 3.0 that have no formatting to them, look strange and barren. They were designed to be viewed with a styles compatible browser, and no thought was given to browsers without styles.

When using an effect, keep in mind how other browsers will see (or not see) the effect. Be sure to test your website on multiple platforms (it mac and PC) as well as on multiple web browsers (ie Netscape, Internet Explorer, AOL, Opera, etc)