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Gimmicks to Mastery - The Javascript Difference

© Robin Friedman

There is little more embarrassing than a website filled with nonstop gimmicks, flashy trinkets, and other annoying things that only impede you from finding what you want on the website. For example, prompts asking your name, pointless javascript fade-ins before the page loads, animated trinkets, under construction signs, on-loading MIDIs, and more. The main problem with these page features is that they detract from the original purpose of the website. The purpose of any self-respecting website is to convey information to the visitor. Gimmicks almost invariably will hamper this exchange of information.

It is true that some flashy graphics and some well placed javascript prompts and fades can make a page look cooler, but very few sites can actually do that well. It's difficult, for example, to have a little animated construction worker image be helpful to your site, even when it is under construction. The real test for these is, will this heighten the visitor's opinion of your website, or will it lower it. Once I see animated trinkets, or an onload javascript fade, I try to leave the site immediately. There is likely to be more of these nuisances, and it's not worth the effort.

So when can you use these flashy gimmicks, anyway? The idea here is, never make them mandatory. Have a button, a warning link, and get rid of the stupid animated GIFs altogether.

To actually give your site a touch of class, the best thing to do is to keep things looking deceptively simple. White space is great even if its been proven not to help. Avoid buly images, flashing, and other things that will only clutter up your page.

Remember: A site with class is a site worth visiting.

The copyright of the article Gimmicks to Mastery - The Javascript Difference in Linux/Unix is owned by Robin Friedman. Permission to republish Gimmicks to Mastery - The Javascript Difference in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.