Clicks & Notes

adaptive path - ajax: a new approach to web applications

• “Ajax” (shorthand for “Asynchronous JavaScript + XML") is a way to make web applications more responsive to user interaction
• traditional web applications rely on communication between a user and a web server via HTTP, which result in a “start-stop-start-stop” type of interaction:
  • user sends a request to the server
  • the server processes the request
  • the server returns a(nother) web page back to the user
  • repeat…
• an Ajax “engine"– written in JavaScript, and loaded at the start of a user session – can instead act as an intermediary between the user and server:
  

  Any response to a user action that doesn’t require a trip back to the server — such as simple data validation, editing data in memory, and even some navigation — the engine handles on its own

  If the engine needs something from the server in order to respond — if it’s submitting data for processing, loading additional interface code, or retrieving new data — the engine makes those requests asynchronously, usually using XML, without stalling a user’s interaction with the application.

• Ajax is not a new technology in and of itself; it incorporates existing web technologies:
  

  • standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS;
  • dynamic display and interaction using the Document Object Model;
  • data interchange and manipulation using XML and XSLT;
  • asynchronous data retrieval using XMLHttpRequest;
  • and JavaScript binding everything together.

• current online applications using Ajax include the various Google products, Flickr and A9.com

WebCredible - Ten ways to improve the usability of your ecommerce site

1. Identify users with their e-mail address rather than a username
2. Break up the ordering process into bite size chunks
3. Show users where they are in the ordering process, and how many more steps there are to complete
4. Don’t make the ordering process harder than it needs to be
5. Address common user queries that arise during the ordering process, either onscreen (preferable, I think) or via a hyperlink
6. Highlight required form fields
7. Make the ordering process flexible – for example, a forced postal code lookup can cause problems for users with unusual or new addresses
8. Put users’ minds at ease – many users are still concerned about the security of shopping online
9. Have users confirm their order before buying, then provide confirmation after they buy
   • before they click “OK” or “Cancel", users should be able to see:
     • a summary of their order
     • how much it will cost
     • where it will be delivered to
   • once the user clicks “OK” and the order is succesfully placed, show them:
     • the expected delivery date
     • the order number
     • how to track the order online (if this is possible)
10. Send a confirmation e-mail after an order has been place

(via InformIT)