What are Highly Dynamic Pages?

Most of the content found on the Internet is not dynamic. It is text, it is graphics, but it is not interactive. Sometimes however, it is important to interact with the user, to have a two way conversation. We are all used to web forms, fill out all the little boxes, press OK, and move on. That works, it is somewhat dynamic, it allows data entry, it can change which page is next depending on the user's selections. The question is can we offer our user a richer experience? Can we fill out the form for them? Maybe a little.

In the past, web programmers avoided a lot of interaction because it slowed the user down instead of speeding them up. Take a contact information form for example, when you enter the zip code, the form provides the city, state, and area code.

It is nice that the form fills out information when you enter the zip code. The problem is that it is annoying that the page must reload. This is particulary annoying to people with slower web connections.

This next example does the same thing, but without needing a full page reload:

The new information just pops into place. Cute, but is it worth the effort to save the user a few keystrokes? Remember, this is a small example. Below is a snippet from the Osage Tournament Manager. The user may enter dates, times, and game fields without leaving the base page.

In this example the body of the page changes on the fly to step the user through the process. The site may change the next step depending on the user's selections. In a more complex page, the controls and information could change into anything, from anything, depending on the user's actions. This degree of flexibility allows for an incredibly dynamic web site.

To see more, go to the Soccer League Manger, and click on Take The Tour. Toward the end of the tour is a schedule of soccer games. Click on a game and all of that game's details, date, time, location, coaches, etc. display below the schedule. Click on another, and the details change.

"Good enough for soccer, but what does that mean to me?" Fair question. Replace the soccer games with a list of real estate properties. The user sees the Real Estate details as they click from property to property. The page does not reload, no pop-up windows display. The information just appears, and then changes when the user requests another. Have a realtor log in, and they could see the latest bid information as it changes. This type of dynamic page is part of a family of pages becomming known as web 2.0. See more information about web 2.0 on Emily Chang's eHub.

Other Applications

How about a site that displays rapidly changing information. You can ask the user to keep hitting Reload. You could also use this a web 2.0 technique to update the user's page automatically. Another idea is a site that changes as the user enters information. Enter a zip code, a list of properties displays. Select a house style, the list narrows. Enter the number of bedrooms, the list narrows. You get the picture. Now, replace the real estate model with automobile information. Now, replace the automobile information with your product.

Whether your web site needs an advanced, very dynamic user experience like this, or simply needs to provide basic information to your users, Osage Enterprises has the experience and skill set to create what you need.