Rich Internet Applications : Extraordinary Interactive Experiences

"By 2010, at least 60 percent of new application development projects will include RIA technology, and at least 25 percent of those will rely primarily on RIA."

Source: Gartner RAS Core Research

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) combine the best features of traditional desktop applications with the accessibility of the web.

The former have offered us "rich", powerful and intuitive visual interfaces that make the computing experience more accessible and inviting. The latter offers a painless software deployment platform that has a massive extended "reach" available to anyone with an internet connection. Together with the inherent communication capability of the internet, Rich Internet Applications also provide radical connectivity, enabling unparalleled synchronous and asynchronous access to people and information.

Combining these capabilities together, Rich Internet Applications provide an exciting and compelling new medium through which extraordinary interactive experiences can be created for B2B & B2C applications and services.

The diagram below contextualises Rich Internet Applications showing how they combine the best of desktop software, the best of the web, and the best of communication technology.

What is a Rich Internet Application?

Rich Internet Applications extend the design limitations and interaction constraints of traditional HTML applications. They also bring together the media- & interaction- rich power of desktop applications, with the inherent content-richness and digital connectedness of the internet.

When looking at the previously-unavailable composite of advantages of Rich Internet Applications, you could say that they read like a checklist for an ideal friend or partner:

• Steady & responsive
• Rich & capable
• Easy to get hold of & low-maintenance
• Great communicator

Steady & responsive

One of the most immediately obvious differences between a Rich Internet Application and a conventional web page is in that when you click on a button or hyperlink of a RIA the whole page doesn't reload. Only the data or other content related to your action is updated.

This produces a responsive and seamless interface that more effectively enables the user to concentrate on the task at hand because they are never delayed or distracted by the mechanics of the interface itself. Research indicates that displays are processed by users more effectively when key structural elements in the display do not change from one view to the next. This gives users a set of continuously visible reference points which prevent them from becoming confused or disoriented as they navigate around the application.

In addition, RIAs offer the performance and speed of desktop applications. Whereas a traditional HTML-based page contains both data and presentation information, RIAs typically only exchange small data packets with the server. This, in conjunction with their client-side processing capability, provides for faster feedback and quicker responses.

Rich & capable

A well-designed software tool should become a natural extension of our own capabilities in the same way that a hammer is a extension of a builder's hand. The ability to craft a highly capable and pleasing application experience is constrained by the structure and behaviour of the basic building blocks the application developer has at his or her disposal. Rich Internet Applications enable a rich array of interactions that allow end users to more effectively and directly interpret and manipulate the data they work with. The adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" is just as true with data. In conjunction with graphical elements, sound, video, and data visualisation techniques, well-designed interfaces can communicate ideas with clarity and precision.

This Outsmart-designed RIA demonstrates a 2D visualisation of a resource management system that quickly and effectively enables users to locate equipment, navigating either graphically or via traditional lookup forms.

Easy to get hold of & low-maintenance

Unlike desktop applications, RIAs are accessible to anyone, anywhere using a standard web browser. RIAs overcome the limitation of platform-dependant applications providing universal access to all users regardless of their hardware or operating system. Like the retail shift from narrow doorways to store-wide access, a Rich Internet Application maximises the opportunity to engage with it.

RIAs provide easier access to a wider range of users
The old store front		Modern stores offer greater accessibility

In addition, the ability to provide on-demand access to value-add online products and services without the download, install and configuration time-cost to the user, or the bandwidth and support cost to the service provider, is a significant time and bottom-dollar advantage.

Great communicator

The internet is, by its very nature, an increasingly universal network for the transmission of information and messages between human and computer-based content publishers and subscribers. Up until recently most web traffic has been predominantly based on a request-response model of communication, where data sits passively until a user or service requests it.

Rich Internet Applications enrich this repertoire of communication by also providing synchronous real-times modes of exchange as well. Real-time communication is particularly well-suited to the following varieties of services;

• Text chat - for instance, Instant Messaging applications like MSN Messenger
• Audio and video conferencing - being able to talk to and see each other online or view a secure monitored area
• Video on demand - for streaming pre-recorded content
• Application and desktop sharing - allowing people to see and work on another person's computer
• Server push - enabling alert messages or content to be "pushed" onto a user's screen, as one example
• Real-time monitoring of critical data - for time-critical applications where seconds can make all the difference

By broadening the modes by which people and applications can interact with one another, Rich Internet Applications open up new and enriched opportunities to add value, interest and richness of experience to products and services.

Rich Internet Applications enrich modes of communication

Technology Platforms

Today's Rich Internet Applications are primarily built on one of three technology platforms: AJAX, Adobe Flash, and Java.

AJAX & Javascript-based tools

AJAX is an acronym that stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, and is based on a range of technologies including HTML, Javascript, DHTML, and DOM (Document Object Model). Although the term wasn't coined until February 2005, the underlying technology components that make up AJAX have been available for many years. Google Maps and Google Gmail are 2 of the most familiar AJAX applications. AJAX applications must be tested rigorously to deal with the quirks of different browsers and platforms. A number of programming libraries have become available as AJAX has matured that can help ease this task.

Adobe Flash & Adobe Flex

First to clarify - “Adobe Flash” refers to 2 different products. Adobe Flash is an application aimed at web designers for developing animated web content and is primarily designed for creating banner ads and animations. Although some Flash developers have built RIAs with Flash it is not particularly well suited to this task.

The Adobe Flash Player on the other hand is a multiple-platform “virtual machine” that enables Flash-compatible content to be “played”. Adobe claims that the Flash Player is already installed on 97% of Internet-enabled desktops.

Adobe Flex is a product aimed specifically at software developers for creating and deploying Rich Internet Applications that run in the Flash Player. Flex offers a strongly-typed, industry-standards-compliant, fully object-oriented programming language that builds on the rich content delivery capabilities of the Flash Player. Flash-based RIAs can create the most sophisticated, interactive and media-rich applications among all RIA development platforms.

Java

Like Adobe Flash Player, Java applications run in a "virtual machine" which theoretically buffers the software developers from having to contend with the differences in user's computer configurations. Java has yet to come out with a XML-based User interface construction mechanism, which is the de facto standard in RIA development. Whilst Java has been around for longer than both AJAX and Flash, the combination of the need for a specific version of the Java virtual machine together with a large download means it has yet to make a mark in the RIA space.

... oh, and what about Microsoft?

The next release of the Windows operating system (Vista) introduces "Windows Presentation Foundation" and a XML-based layout language called XAML. At this stage it is still in beta and indications are that the full power of XAML will only be available to users running Windows Vista, casting some doubt over its universal accessibility to users, and therefore, general desirability to developers. However it does look like an interesting product and worth keeping your eye on.

What are the potential uses of Rich Internet Applications?

The superior power & user interface experience of the Rich Internet Application open new opportunities for businesses in both B2B and B2C domains. The table below shows a spectrum of potential uses for Rich Internet Applications.

The Benefits

Rich Internet Applications provide a range of compelling benefits.

Companies can gain new customers by offering a better experience

As individuals and organisations conduct more business online, the interface to your website or application becomes the interface to your business. People naturally move in the direction of experiences that let them accomplish their goals as efficiently, reliably, and predictably as possible. Anyone dissatisfied with your product can easily sample a competitor's offering to see how it compares. On the other hand, customers who have a positive experience can become your greatest salespeople, producing a chain reaction of repeat-business.

Increase Sales

Online retailers and distributors can improve revenues by improving the user experience and simplifying complex processes. This can be achieved with easier-to-use RIA-based systems that also intelligently promote cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. More and more online retailers are seeing Rich Internet Applications as a key tool to help them differentiate their offering.

Improve Service and reduce costs

Service-oriented enterprises can differentiate themselves from the competition by enhancing their customer service through richer web applications. Rich Internet Applications can intelligently and proactively guide customers through complex decision making. This also has the added benefit of encouraging self-service, thereby reducing call-centre costs.

Improve Productivity

By utilising some of the processing power of the computers they run on, Rich Internet Applications have the same speed and performance as their desktop counterparts. By eliminating the need for full page refreshes, in combination with a richer repertoire of user interface components, end-users experience increased interactivity and responsiveness with simplified interfaces - this translates into greater productivity.

In closing

The following table compares and contrasts existing application approaches. RIAs are fast becoming the benchmark for Software application and Web application front ends because they provide the best of all possible worlds producing user experiences that are rich, have broad reach, and provide radical connectivity.

RIAs integrate the best of both Desktop & Web technologies
	Feature Desktop Web RIA Steady and responsive Rich and capable Easy to get hold of and low maintenance Great communicator

Rich Internet Applications are the next stage in the evolution of software and web technology. They offer a range of benefits to users, software developers and businesses alike:

• Improved and enriched user experiences
• New opportunities for enhanced products and services
• Reduced cost of deployment and support

Further reading

You can read more about Rich Internet Applications by clicking on the following links;

• Rich Internet Applications: IDC White paper
• The Essence of Effective Rich Internet Applications: Macromedia White paper
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Report : Rich Internet Applications
• Rich Internet Applications: Wikipedia entry

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