In this rapidly changing industry which changes more than a David Beckham haircut, the rise of Javascript (and in particular forms of Javascript like J-query and Moo tools) has come to the fore of many contemporary sites. Previously users of the web would be content with static sites, especially clients who were cautious to use Flash, but the introduction of J-query has provided a tool for designers to add interactivity to their sites without needing an in depth knowledge of Javascript. Here at IHM we are pushing the use of elements of J-Query in our new sites and especially pushing it in the form of a ‘lead in’ to areas of key content contained within the site. Whereas before I would use Flash for lead ins it is now so much easier to use J-query ,for the following reasons:

•    Easily updatable,.
•    SEO friendly.
•    Quicker (A lightweight JavaScript library)
•    Benefits the user experience.
•    Massive support community providing frameworks and support.

. Quite frankly the arrival of more interactive sites is long overdue. Design figureheads like Eric Meyer has also preached the importance of using J-query which effectively has given the green light to designers like myself to make sites more interactive and immersive for end-users. Here at Ihm we are fortunate to have a J-Query specialist in the form of Matthew ‘The Puse’ Pusey. Matthew says

“J-query is the way forward in terms of user interaction, the thing I like the most about J-query is the fact that it degrades so gracefully. If you have Javascript turned off, it will still look great. Unlike if you had a flash banner in place, if the person doesn’t have flash it just hassles them to get it etc.

My favourite J-query feature to use is J-query Tabs, which can turn an extremely long page into four seperate sections, that can have transitions between them.”

Keeping scrolling to a minimum is a good practice in web design and j-query is such a practical and effective way of reducing this. Attention spans are limited to only a few seconds when users first visit a site so ideally all important content needs to be featured on the homepage as users tend to skim read, picking out keywords and key content rather than reading in full.

So why not get in touch with us to see how J-query can improve the user experience for your site?

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