I recently helped INO.com, Inc. redesign one of their video product pages. The redesign launched earlier this month.
Original Design
In 2007, we created a video player application in Flash that allows users to login and view four featured videos on trading topics. The entire application was in a self-contained Flash component. This included all the various application states such as the sign up form, login form, forgot password form, video details, and the video player itself. The content was managed via XML.
Flash Issues
There are some problems with the all-Flash approach. Maintenance becomes more difficult. Interface or design changes require republishing the original Flash file. Of greater concern is that the user loses some control over the experience. Being that Flash is a black box within the browser, it does not react by default to browser controls such as the forward and back buttons or the text size controls.
The Redesign
Redesigning the application using HTML allowed us to create a product that is easier to maintain in the future, and gives control back to the end user. With the exception of the video player itself, the page uses HTML and JavaScript. The end result is more in line with the company branding and experience. The new design gives us a framework to use on other video products as well.
Trend TV HTML Redesign
Original Flash Interface
