8 User Interface Design for Ajax
E
nd users are generally oblivious of the technical and network plumbing changes Ajax
introduces, but they are certainly aware of what it can provide to them: speed, data
availability, and rich interaction. Up until now, we have focused on building a solid
foundation and understanding Ajax issues related to JavaScript, data, network, and security,
but now it is time to turn our attention to what many users really care about: the rich
interface an Ajax application can provide. To set expectations, we will not attempt to teach
all the tenets of appropriate user interface design or demonstrate how to create and use
every possible interface widget you could use in an application in a single chapter. Instead,
we will focus on the interface implications of using Ajax and present the common design
patterns that emerge in Ajax applications. In addition to demonstrating some patterns and
widgets in small pieces, we will present them in support of a few sample applications that
will be built out in the subsequent chapter.The User Interface Implications of Ajax
Traditional Web applications are often criticized for being slow and disruptive because of
the necessity of the full page redraw.335
CHAPTER