Using Proper Technology

Using the proper technology for the right process is essential. You wouldn't want to use a mallot to kill a mosquito; then why use a $5000 solution to solve a $500 problem? I can help you cut through the jargon and understand what tools, technology, and solutions are available.

Some technology out there is revolutionary--but not ideal for YOUR business process. Let me help explain what's available and what's BEST for your business and your online solution.

New Possibilities

AJAX

Ajax is a new web technology that's opened up the power of desktop applications to the net. And while it is not necessary for all websites or all web processes, it can help tremendously in making your user experience more pleasant and making available capabilities you thought were not possible online.

Tell me more about AJAX

From wikipedia:

Ajax, or AJAX, is a web development technique used for creating interactive web applications. The intent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user requests a change. This is intended to increase the web page's interactivity, speed, functionality, and usability.

Ajax is asynchronous in that loading does not interfere with normal page loading. JavaScript is the programming language in which Ajax function calls are made. Data retrieved using the technique is commonly formatted using XML, as reflected in the naming of the XMLHttpRequest object from which Ajax['s name] is derived.

Popular examples of this technology include Google's Suggest, gMail, and many of Flickr.com's interactive features. Ajax effectively does away with the traditional "Click-and-Wait" Web-application architecture of yesterday, making it possible to provide the responsiveness and interactivity users expect from desktop applications.

Ajax's ability to pull data from the server after the page has loaded contrasts with what we now refer to as the "traditional architecture." In a traditional architecture, the user must wait for the entire Web page to reload to see new results from the server. In an application that requires a lot of interactivity with the business layer sitting on the server, the user must reload the entire page many times. This has implications for the efficiency of workflow, the load placed on the server hosting the application, and the productivity of users.

Measurable Benefits for You

These are benefits that can be measured and expressed in terms of dollars and cents without much difficulty. Regardless of the quality of your Ajax UI, you will look to these metrics to estimate value. They include:

Time spent waiting for data: Time is money. Over many repetitions, the time employees (or users) spend waiting for the page to load can add up to significant costs.
Time spent completing a task: Increased efficiency in the user interface can often mean that time is saved at the task level, offering opportunities for concrete cost savings there.
Bandwidth consumed: If repetitious tasks consume a lot of bandwidth, these costs can escalate dramatically. The amount of bandwidth consumed also has implications for time savings.

Show me an Example

For websites I create, I typically ultilize AJAX for various forms, admin panel features, or database data retrieval.

My proprietary CMS ("content management system") makes use of the power of AJAX.

click here to DEMO MY CMS and see AJAX in action.