What does RIA stand for?

You've probably heard of them: Ajax, Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, mash-ups, RIA technologies – but how can these fashionable terms help your company?

RIA comes from the words Rich Internet Applications. The Internet part of the term simply means that the application is Web-based. It is used with a regular Web browser, so the users don't need to install any new programmes in order to use the service.

However, we are not talking about a website but genuine applications (the Application part of the term) – instead of just browsing web pages, you can actually do concrete things with the application: good examples are online stores and banks, as well as map services. There is two-way interaction between the user and the application.

What about the Rich part then? Web technologies were originally designed for browsing scientific articles, not for running interactive applications. This is why traditional Web applications are slow and cumbersome to use: after each click you have to wait for the new page to load. An RIA application reacts immediately because the technology minimises the amount of data transferred between the server and the user’s computer.

The fast response introduces the rich interactive modes familiar from desktop programmes. For example, RIA enables:

• drag and drop method
• use of a slider
• graphs and graphics updated in real time
• moving and stretching content by clicking and dragging
• animated transitions

Thus, in addition to the speed, RIA offers more comprehensive opportunities for user interface design, which positively contributes to usability.

The improved usability of applications will become evident for your company in the form of increased productivity and customer satisfaction. See how your company can benefit from RIA technologies and acquaint yourself with examples of our applications.