Rich Internet Applications, RIA, are all the rage as clever programmers use Javascript, AJAX, Silverlight and widget technologies to blur the distinction between web "pages" and desktop applications. Unless your organisation is exploring these technologies with your web team or agency then you are likely to fall behind your competitors.

By now most people will have experienced Ajax; those clever versions of web pages where portions of a page change without the whole page being refreshed. It is a deceptively small advance that hides a wealth of possibilities, and technology companies such as Google are exploiting it to the full through their whole range of services such as Google Docs, gMail and Google Maps.

What does RIA mean for your company?

As some larger sites explore rich internet applications there are dangers that other companies will be left behind if:

1. Their site offers a shopping experience that is more complex or long winded than their competitors
2. Their internal search fails to help the visitor pin-point what they are looking for
3. Their home and landing pages remain cluttered rather than using dynamic information panes and intelligent presentation of information
4. New site functionality has to be built from scratch rather than "mashing up" modern third party services

Perhaps these don't look important but as customers become used to richer better browsing experiences they will chose to take their business to those companies that do understand. Try and persuade them that the slower, less intelligent, harder to navigate site is better than the fast, single page, auto-updating web application.

Experimenting with RIA

Ajax and Web Services form a backbone of many of the projects we do for clients such as Luminar, Abbey Box Office and Stanfords. Abbey Box Office, for example, shows off what is possible using some of these techniques: dynamic show selection, intelligent availability, one-page checkout and in-page selection of information panes. It not only looks better than the previous site but it is generating significantly better results.

Possible pitfalls

Before you rush to get your designers to change your site to incorporate these elements you have to make sure that you will not damage any aspect of your current web presence:

1. RIA presents challenges for search engines who cannot often see inside the complex Javascript elements of the page. You will need to make sure that your designers find ways of providing traditional pages for the search engines to index (without using cloaking techniques that could get you banned).
2. RIA presents accessibility challenges for blind and partially sited web users and these need to be factored into your project to ensure that your improved site remains compliant with the Disabilities Discrimination Act.
3. RIA is harder to track with most analytics packages and highlights the needs for independently logging parts of the user experience to allow continued access to high quality business intelligence.

Rich Internet Applications will eventually remove the need for most application software on your PC (or on your phone). Even in the last week we have seen Adobe start to offer a version of Photoshop Elements entirely run within a browser. What changes are you making to your site to match the changes in user expectations that such developments entail?