The authors exhibit a deep understanding of the topics discussed, and how they make sense to actual application developers. This is a great book, not just in terms of the subject, which integrates usability concepts with an application framework, but in terms of clarity and organization.

The book assumes a fair knowledge of Flash 8 and ActionScript 2.0, and an understanding of usability concepts. The main goal is to explain how to develop complex applications with a rich and efficient user experience. The concepts are not presented as abstract ideas, but as ideas that can be immediately applied to Flash development. The book analyzes interface elements (such as menus, forms, and liquid layouts), and uses a step-by-step methodology to build, scale, and refine.

Part 1, “Introducing Flash Usability,” contains two chapters that place Flash in a historic context, and guide readers in setting up the Flash development environment. Part 2, “The Usability Solutions,” consists of 11 chapters, each presenting an interface component, including navigation menus, content loading, and data filtering. Part 3, “Putting the Pieces Together,” is made up of two chapters that present a case study. The case study incorporates all of the topics, and illustrates how to plan and conduct a real project.

Chapter 6, “Inventory Views and Selection Devices,” is hard to follow, and requires extra attention and a careful reading of the source code. The effort pays off, though, as inventory views and selection devices are central components.

Each chapter has an introduction to the topic discussed, and then proceeds to tackle the code. The authors continually emphasize the best way to implement in terms of usability, instead of concentrating on the easiest, fastest, or prettiest solution--focuses of many other books.

I recommend this book as a tutorial for new developers, and as a companion for experienced developers. The ideal reading scheme is from cover to cover, but after that it remains a useful reference.