F LASH : A P ROTOTYPING T OOL

S IMULATING N AVIGATION Flash is an effective tool for simulating navigation. From basic prototypes to detailed designs, Flash allows you to easily create interactive elements easily and get them working quickly using the timeline. You can create buttons within the program or design them in photoshop and illustrator and import them.

C ODING IN F LASH While a good deal of prototyping can be accomplished without the user having to code, Flash offers more experienced coders the ability to code just about everything. Actionscript 3.0 is the language of Flash CS3. It was originally based on javascript and has adapted to better suit the user with each new version. CS3 now features a code editor and generator for commonly used functions in flash. Also, users can now take animations they create through the timeline have flash generate the Actionscript for them.

A DDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR I NTERACTIVITY Because Flash is intended to work with Photoshop and Illustrator it allows users to achieve a high level of detail in their prototypes. Flash contains lots of drawing tools, pre-created interface elements like buttons, text boxes, and radio buttons, as well as allows for the use of real video which can be edited and integrated into any design.

U SER E XPERIENCE L EVEL Depending on the detail of a prototype, the time it can take a user to create a very basic prototype is relatively short. The tutorials within flash and online resources are quite useful in quickly being able to create working prototypes. Integrating elements from Photoshop and Illustrator, which is desired for more professional looking prototypes, can be time consuming and requires the user to understand these programs as well. To create a simple prototype would probably take a user with some prototyping experience a few days, maybe less.

B UILT -I N -C OMPONENTS The following user interface components come with Flash CS3. There are many more available on the web however as well as other built-in components for video. Button, CheckBox, ColorPicker, ComboBox, DataGrid, Label, List, NumericStepper, ProgressBar, RadioButton, ScrollPane, Slider, TextArea, TextInput, TileList, UILoader, UIScrollbar

C OST The cost of flash varies based on how you buy it. If you go to adobe you will likely be offered packages including Flash, like Design Premium CS3, Web Premium CS3 etc. The Design Premium CS3, the cheapest, starts at $699. To buy flash CS3 alone is significantly cheaper. To upgrade from a previous version is $199 through Adobe. To buy it new varies from $ depending on where you buy.