Java Tutorial Overview for Beginners

JavaScript Functions

Five Ways to Improve Your Website's UI with JavaScript

When used effectively, JavaScript can significantly improve the usability of your website, or the web application, by enhancing client interaction. With JavaScript, you can enhance site navigation, add user prompts and several other client functions that improve usability for visitors and the overall usability of the site.

Whether you are a new student learning java programming or a professional wanting to improve your web design and development capabilities, here are a few tips and techniques you can use for improving the UI of your web application using JavaScript.

 

1.      Password strength meter

 

The password strength meter, as the name goes, is used to inform the Java programmer about the strength of the password, considering the uniqueness of the password and how easy or difficult it is to guess it. Ideally, the password should be a combination of numbers, letters and special characters. Webmasters have a bigger responsibility of encouraging their site users to choose highly unique passwords to prevent easy access of information to hackers.

Adding a set of instructions for creation of passwords on the account sign-up page is one way to do it, but not many people pay attention to them.

A password strength meter script, which is a real-time color meter indicator, allows you to visually display how weak or strong the password chosen by the user is. Including this safety script is a great way to encourage users to register with your site securely.

 

2.      Auto crop for Image uploads

 

The images upload and crop script, which is built on the JQuery framework, enables the user to crop the image right after uploading it. This is a convenient feature that many websites tend to use. Although creating this particular JQuery, which includes use of image libraries along with JavaScript, can be a complicated process, the auto crop is a highly useful feature and can significantly improve user experience while decreasing the website's page load times. Most online Java training courses cover the complexities of this functionality.

 

3.      Form validation

 

JavaScript can also be used to generate a compact form that encourages the user to log into the site. The login page script is a combination of a JQuery and a perfectly designed form layout that occupies very little space on the page, usually appearing as a pop-up with a faded background effect. The details entered into the form are validated by JavaScript immediately, so that any errors encountered, or any wrong data entered, are pointed out to the customer in real time.

 

4.      JQuery Autotab

 

Filling in details like the social security number or the credit card number online becomes easier with the JQuery auto tab script. This feature allows the user to move to the next tab automatically when filling in multiple input columns  of a form for phone number, credit card number etc. it may seem like a very basic function but not all websites have it, emphasizing on the fact that it is underrated. The JQuery auto tab is not just important, but essential to make user experience a better one on your site.

 

5.      Context highlighting in forms

 

Forms may seem like the simplest part of a web page, but are actually the hardest to create. Lengthy forms or forms with unappealing design or layout can put off the user, which is not good for your business.

Obtaining the necessary information from a potential customer is also made possible through forms, which is why it is important to have an appealing form design and functionality.

JavaScript can be used in any way you want to make the form less daunting and more encouraging. For instance, if the form layout seems to have too many fields, using the context highlighting JQuery can be a good idea, for it highlights the active field and lets the users know where they are and how far or near they are from completing the form, in a way improving the user experience.

 

Why JavaScript?

Sites functions built with JavaScript are faster and respond better, which means shorter page load times and less waiting for the user. The performance of the site is of utmost importance when you want a visitor to stay around and notice what you are providing.

JavaScript allows you to achieve more by transferring fewer bits of data, as the data sent to the client is in JSON or XML and not the bulky markup HTML data.

In any case, care should be taken to not use certain functionality, like the arrays, too liberally. If you do so in the name of enhancing user experience, the performance of the site can be negatively affected.

The key is to identify which aspects of your site need a high level of interactivity and functionality yet require a lot of server resources, this is the optimal place to implement JavaScript solutions.

Author
Seth Williams has been writing with Firebox Training, since July, 2011. He writes on many topics across IT programming, training and developments in the industry. Through spreading wisdom across forums and tech blogs, Seth has realized an open source approach to training professionals across the globe is the way to go.

---