It would be nice to say that at this point, the application was finished. The design brief has been satisfied, and the main user has looked over the production instance and expressed her satisfaction. Rory has taken a simple list of contacts and converted it into an application that is available throughout the organization; not just to view, but also for others to add and modify contact information. He has taken steps to ensure that the system is reliable, performs reasonably well, and has even gone to the trouble of developing a backup regime. Anyone would think the project was finished. That is anyone who has not put a new application in front of a group of users.

In this chapter, we will concentrate on the tools we can use to improve the user experience. These include providing links into the application, providing search tools, enhancements in the user interface, and providing help to the users.

It is the end of the week and time for Rory to present the new application to Ken. Rory is asked to demonstrate the new application to Ken on his PC. At first, the demonstration goes well, especially when Ken realizes how easy it is to access with no need to install a new application on his system.

Chapter 7: Improving the User Experience Easy Access to the Application Use Routes to Simplify the Entry Point URL Build a Fast, Clear Home Page Users Need to be Able to Find Items Easily Use the Index View as the Core of the Search View Search–The First Attempt Do Not Trust User Input Handle Nothing Users Need to be Able to Search Without Knowing Exactly What They Are Looking for A Less Specific Search Case Insensitive Searches Adding AJAX to the Mix Make the AJAX Libraries Available to our Rails Application Enhancing Search with Auto-complete Auto-complete—Wow!, but... Use of AJAX—the Lessons Learned from Auto-Complete Show and Hide Company Address Using link_to_remote A Simple link_to_remote A DOM Object to Update Create a say_hello Action Increasing the Functionality of link_to_remote Show and Hide Alternating link_to_remote Elements Alternative Actions Debugging JavaScript Show/Hide within the Company Index List Using AJAX to Edit a Field in Line Render an AJAX Form via link_to_remote A Little script.aculo.us: Drag and Drop Make an Element Draggable A Place to Drop the Element Further AJAX Help! RDoc–Documentation for the Developer Help for the User Instiki Wiki Help The Best User Help Systems Keep Talking to Users Summary

Paperback 528 pages Released: October 2007 ISBN: 1847190855 ISBN 13: 978-1-847190-85-7

View the book details on PacktPub.com