Clicks & Notes

Functioning Form - Web Application Solutions: A Designer’s Guide

Web Application Solutions is a guide that helps designers, product managers, and business owners evaluate some of the most popular Web application presentation layer solutions available today. We compare each solution through consistent criteria (deployment & reach, user interactions, processing, interface components & customization, back-end integration, future proofing, staffing & cost, unique features) and provide an overview, set of examples, and references for each.

• Types of Web Applications:
  • Thin Client
    • uses web browser for security, state management, and script execution
    • most data processing and storage occurs on a remote server
  • Rich Internet Application (RIA)
    • enables richer locally processed user interactions, such as fluid animation, multimedia content, and real-time validation
    • also enables advanced remote messaging
  • Rich Client (smart client, desktop client)
    • a web-connected application that does not run within the browser, and can be delivered as compiled code
• Web Application Technologies:
  • (X)HTML
  • DHTML (HTML + JavaScript + CSS)
    • DHTML with Remote Scripting via iFrame
    • AJAX (DHTML with XMLHttpRequest
  • Flash (version 6 or higher)
    • Flash with Flex or Laszlo Presentation Server
  • Java Applets
  • Active X
  • Java Web Start
  • Windows Smart Clients

See also: Functioning Form - Web Application Continuums

Many Web Application technologies are an attempt to bridge the gap between Thin (browser-based) and Thick (desktop-based) clients. As a result, it’s useful to consider where they fall on a continuum between these two deployment and design options.