subject: Web Performance With Emerging Technologies [print this page] Poor online experience thus translates directly to less satisfied users, poorer brand perception, and higher costs. Sites that have mastered Web 1.0 technologies are now facing new technological hurdles as well. These new, richer, and more interactive experiences require the use of new technology and architectures.
It is becoming much more difficult to understand the user experience, let alone deliver a high-quality experience. No longer will measurements of single pages provide a view into the end-to-end performance of the user online. A modern site is a collection of third-party content and Web services
that do not reside in one single data center.
The Web has become a hotbed of innovation focused on increasing Web site and Web applications stickiness. Web 2.0 technologies are playing an increasingly important role in customer acquisition and retention. Companies are constantly looking to leverage new technologies, such as
broadband video and social networking, to give consumers a more interactive experience. For example, Nike allows users to customize their footwear with preferred colors online, using a single-screen for the multistep configuration process. Auto manufacturers sites showcase models in day-in-the-life settings that reveal the cars features from the users perspective, allowing users not just to consume but also interact with multimedia.
While AJAX and Rich Internet applications (RIAs) are two of its core technologies, social networking and mashups represent two techniques that are being increasingly adopted in the development community. With the increase in social networks UGC is playing an important role in providing the content of the many Web sites.
While Web site responsiveness is the key to a superior user experience, location, time of day, access mechanisms, and tariff structure influence the end-user experience. Web operations teams need tools that will alert them in real time when their Web site performance falls below acceptable thresholds.
