This week I wanted to focus on Dashboards, Widgets, and everything else that we put into a bucket called Rich Internet Applications.
There is significant overlap in all three with specific distinctions making each unique. Hopefully I can paint a picture that makes it a little easier to understand.
Consistencies Among all 3
- Generally designed to incorporate an aesthetically pleasing UI.
- Some or most data originates from a server side process or web service.
- Enables some level of configuration or customization
- Implies some type of security model
- Provides a user interface paradigm that is intuitive and simple to navigate
- Besides on the desktop outside of an internet browser which enables a user experience that requires no screen refresh.
- Incorporates Web 2.0 technologies like AJAX or Flash.
Differences
Dashboards:
- Primarily focused on presenting quantitative measures, metrics, and analytics.
- Used to visualize the most recent information available.
- Provide enough information to drive action.
- Is usually embedded or integrated into another application or portal.
Widgets
- Designed to present one or few elements on the screen at one time using minimal screen real estate
- Presents the most important or frequently monitored information or drive common tasks.
- Usually embedded or wrapped around a client side framework.
RIA
- Built to for use as a standalone client application.
- Leverages operating system specific functions in addition to server side communication and data access.
