How do you make your web applications better with progressive enhancement?

1 What is progressive enhancement?

Progressive enhancement is based on the idea that your web applications should work for the lowest common denominator of browsers and devices, and then progressively enhance them for more capable ones. This means that you start with a simple, semantic, and accessible HTML document that delivers the essential content and functionality of your web application. Then, you add CSS to style and layout your web application, and JavaScript to add interactivity and dynamic features. You also use feature detection and fallbacks to ensure that your web application degrades gracefully when some features are not supported or available.

2 Why use progressive enhancement?

Progressive enhancement offers many advantages for web applications, such as increased accessibility and usability for users with disabilities, older devices, or slow connections. It also enhances the performance and reliability of web applications, allowing them to load faster and work offline or in poor network conditions. Furthermore, progressive enhancement makes web applications more future-proof and adaptable, so they can take advantage of new technologies and standards without breaking or needing extensive updates. Additionally, it reduces the risk of errors and bugs by avoiding fragile assumptions or dependencies that may not work in all scenarios.

3 How to implement progressive enhancement?

To implement progressive enhancement in your web applications, you need to follow some best practices, such as using semantic and valid HTML markup that conveys the meaning and structure of your content and functionality, and adhering to web standards and accessibility guidelines. Additionally, you should use progressive enhancement frameworks and libraries to write modular and maintainable code, as well as feature detection and polyfills to check if a browser supports a certain feature and provide alternative solutions or enhancements if not. Responsive design and media queries can help you adapt your web application to different screen sizes and orientations, while service workers and cache APIs can enable offline access and improve the loading speed. Optimizing images and assets for different resolutions and devices is also important.

4 How to test progressive enhancement?

Testing progressive enhancement in web applications requires various tools and methods. Browser developer tools and emulators can be used to inspect and debug your web application, as well as simulate different devices, browsers, and network conditions. Online tools and services can be employed to check the compatibility and performance of your web application across different platforms and browsers. Additionally, user testing and feedback can provide valuable insights into the user experience and satisfaction of your web application, as well as suggest further enhancements.

5 How to learn more about progressive enhancement?

Progressive enhancement is a web design philosophy that requires continuous learning and improvement, as web technologies and standards evolve and change. To learn more about progressive enhancement, you can read books and articles that explain the concepts and principles, watch videos and podcasts that showcase best practices, follow blogs and newsletters to stay up-to-date on trends, and join online communities and forums to discuss ideas and receive feedback. Doing so will help you apply progressive enhancement to your web applications successfully.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?