When Flash and web usability love each other

Using Flash animation on websites was every usability expert's nightmare until not so long ago. Jacob Nielsen explains, in one of his excellent blog posts, that Flash breaks web fundamentals and distracts from the site's core values. That was in 2000. Since then Nielsen has become friendlier in regards to Flash, mainly thanks to smarter use of the technology by web designers.

I bump into many eTourism sites using Flash, but the next one is a bit different. First of all, it's not a 100% tourism site but rather tourism-related. Second, it uses Flash for the entire website and not just as a small feature. And third - it is absolutely amazing.

I'm talking about the website of Rasika, Washington DC's best Indian restaurant. After the splash page the user is taken to a beautifully designed poster-like site, where every click transfers him or her into another area on the poster. The idea of staying on the same page obviously breaks the Back button, which is very popular with users, but for some reason it works here very well. I didn't find it problematic in any way, as the navigation bar is clear enough. In addition, the animation here is very minimalist so it doesn't interfere with the user's control of "his destiny" (in other words, to move freely across the site with almost a full interaction).

I wonder if their food is as good as their website.