Progressive Enhancement then improves the experience by removing the page refresh, adding styles, implementing input validation, providing a character count, handling errors, making it work offline and more. An app which posts messages to a social network requires little more than an HTML5 form and some back-end processing. You know all browsers will continue to render your site regardless of updates they receive in the past, present or future. When implemented well, it incurs little development overhead and can save time. Progressive Enhancement makes sense for content sites and online stores which need to reach the widest possible audience. That’s a decision for you and the application you’re building. Is Progressive Enhancement Worth the Effort? Importantly, everyone receives something and the site/app remains usable for everyone. Those running Opera Mini on a two year-old mobile may receive a basic styled page. Those using the latest Chrome on a desktop may get the highest level of functionality. Users can receive a different experience. load polyfills which implement identical functionality.
avoid running code which would result in an error, or.Your JavaScript can detect when APIs/facilities are available to:
You create the simplest HTML-only experience then enhance it with images, fonts, CSS and JavaScript when those files successfully download and execute.
The solution continues to be Progressive Enhancement. These issues are especially prevalent in the mobile world where a user could be travelling, using a less powerful device, connecting via a slow network, using flaky airport wifi, etc. another script raises an error which stops all scripts executing.the browser didn’t support the code or facilities you require.a browser plugin intercepted or modified the script.the service provider blocked or modified the script.JavaScript is fragile your scripts can break for reasons including: It’s tempting to think those users deserve everything they (don’t) get, but the reality is more problematic. Can You Support Those Without JavaScript?įew people actively disable scripting. They choose to visit your site and can omit anything they don’t want. Always remember that users are in control: it’s their device and connection. Your script can also be modified or have specific facilities disabled. Browsers ‘pull’ files from your server the user can stop that occurring via browser settings, proxy methods, plug-ins or a range of other interception options. It is impossible for site owners or developers to force users to download and run JavaScript. Content sites powered by modern client-side-only application frameworks may show nothing more than a blank page.Ĭan You Prevent Users Disabling JavaScript? Some provide a downgraded experience but it can break shops, maps, games and social networking sites. Few sites consider accessibility guidelines so it remains the easiest way to reduce movement and animated effects which can induce disorientation and nausea.Īrticle content is normally visible, but the downside is that many web applications fail without JavaScript. There are also people with perceptual problems who disable JavaScript out of necessity. Without JavaScript, a magical web appears without bloat, advertising, pop-ups, cookie warnings, scroll-jacking and many of the other dark patterns we experience today. Possibly: refer to I Turned Off JavaScript for a Whole Week and It Was Glorious. Do Users Benefit From Disabling JavaScript?
This popular article has been updated to address the seismic shift in the JavaScript landscape since it was originally published in 2013.