Much of the Web relies on Javascript these days and thankfully most people have it on. If you’re creating a site for the general public, you still want to have a game-plan to deal with those surfing without it.
I looked at the top five travel booking sites, plus Yahoo! Travel, to see what they do. Booking travel is one activity I imagine is fairly consistent among all types of users. These six sites show a few different approaches to lack of Javascript.
The Security Gate Approach
Travelocity and Kayak both take a heavy-handed approach. They set up a security gate, where Javascript dogs sniff each incoming request. If Javascript is disabled, the guards kindly give you a customer alert.
Overall, I am against this option, but I can understand it. With only a small number of people without Javascript, it seems ridiculous to waste developer time being elegant. Toss up the security gate and be on your way.
While I never appreciate being told I have no choice, they provide clear instructions on fixing the problem. This is a simple solution without being too simplistic. Some sites that rely heavily on Javascript will probably need to use this method. A travel site probably isn’t that type of site.
The Deaf and Dumb Approach
The most common way to handle Javascript disabling is to ignore it. Any features on the site that use Javascript just won’t work. Depending on where the scripting is needed, you could be okay. Often it makes you look deaf to the user’s actions and dumb for not responding correctly.
Expedia, the largest travel booking site on the Internet, has a really big problem. When I click the ever-loving “Search for flights” button, nothing happens. My browser doesn’t move, because it isn’t doing anything.
The search button is activated by a function that can’t be called if Javascript is disabled.
Yahoo! Travel, which I expected to knock this out of the ballpark, gave the craziest error of all. No matter what dates I enter into the search, it tells me they are too far ahead–even when I use their dropdowns and keep the automatically-selected options of a date three weeks from now.
If you plan to rely heavily on Javascript, have a plan for dealing with the disablers. If you don’t, you could end up looking deaf and dumb.
The “It Just Works” Approach
Orbitz and CheapTickets just work. I typed in some airports and dates, clicked a button, and I saw itineraries with prices… just like I would expect from a travel site, regardless of Javascript.
Yes, the “heavy handed” approach is definitely far from ideal but you’re right about developer resources and budgets. If nothing else it’s better then not thinking about it at all.
Agreed. I’ve been guilty of deaf and dumb before and have just ended up having to tell frustrated users via email that we require Javascript for such-and-such a feature. So, better to put up the checkpoint than have to repeat yourself via email to people whose time you wasted.