Do you ever wonder how your favorite web application was made? Certainly, most of us don’t go into such details. Yet, wouldn’t it be wonderful to know what the people behind the making of these web application do to make it load at blazing-fast speed and provide such an alluring user experience?
The crucial part is the coding language and framework used to build this web application. Of all the development community, 18.82% of web apps use the Vue.js framework. Vue.js has reached new heights of popularity in recent years due to its ease of use for developers and faster loading times, and highly responsive user interface (UI) for end-users.
When it comes to frameworks such as Vue.js, the conversation almost always revolves around what it means for the web developers. We often miss out on the end-users, the most important stakeholders of the entire ecosystem.
In this blog post, we will talk about Vue.js and what it brings to the table for the web app users. Let’s get started!
What is Vue.js? What Does It Do?
Released in 2014, Vue.js is a front-end JavaScript framework that is used for creating user interfaces and single page applications (SPA). Vue is a Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) open-source framework. Evan You, a JavaScript developer at Google, thought that Angular JS had too many features that weren’t really needed to build projects successfully and came up with the idea of Vue.js.
Now, what is a framework? A framework is a basic structure built on a programming language that supports all the projects that will be created in the future. For example, a framework provides the user to insert a button in the web app. But, if a user has to be asked to insert their detail after clicking on it, the developer needs to write additional code for the functioning of the button.
Hence, what started as a rough templating experiment for Evan, ended up as a framework when the community asked for more features. The framework sizes are at just 22.8 KB, which explains why it is lightweight and provides lightning-fast loading results for web applications.
Not just that, but the Model-View-View Model (MVVM) design pattern keeps both program logic and UI controls separately. Hence, both these functions are individually accessible and highly customizable. Program logic is the thinking behind the working of the application or software for desired results.
Let us simplify this with an example in case you’re scratching your head. Let’s say there’s an app that helps users order food online. How the user selections go to the cart, and the sub-total for orders are based on program logic depending on how far the delivery location is from the restaurant. Whereas what the user sees on the screen will be determined by UI controls.
Now that we know a bit about Vue.js, let’s discuss what makes the developers choose it to deliver the best user experience for web app users.
What Advantages Does Vue.js Offer to Web App Users?
We know you’ve heard a lot about Vue.js from techies, but what does it mean for end users? Let’s see some of crucial advantages that Vue.js provides.
1. Lightning Fast Loading Time
That’s right, isn’t it? The first thing that matters is that the web app shouldn’t take an eternity to load. Stats say that 50% of users would abandon a web app if it takes 6 or more seconds to load.
So what does Vue.js do to bring this time to as low as possible? First off, Vue.js sizes just 22.9 KB, helping in loading the app faster. Surely, if the developers make complex decisions like using Vue.js and Jquery together, the loading time gets extended.
Note For Developers:
Vue.js uses a virtual Document Object Model (DOM) interface. DOM allows the developers to modify or delete the existing Object in the hierarchy of the web app. But Jquery manipulates the DOM, which makes the process too long to complete the web app loading. Hence, using Vue.js and Jquery together is advised unless it is the last stand.
2. Unmatched User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) is a major advantage in Vue.js. Websites like Netflix and IBM have used Vue.js to create a user experience that makes the website visitors feel like their time on the website is worth it.
As discussed above, Evan You created Vue.js to eliminate unwanted tools and features that were present in Angular JS. Thus, Vue.js uses minimal tools and features. This helps create a UI that helps the web apps show enough visual data to the users for their on-screen experience.
A website without animations and interactive elements would be boring for you to even look at. To enhance this experience, animation and interactive elements are to be utilized.
Developers can insert transitions and animations available in the Vue library, access third-party libraries, and create complex animations. These animations make the UI more interactive and provide visual efficacy to the visitors.
3. Personalization
Due to the presence of Virtual DOM in Vue.js, every element is placed individually in the hierarchy of the application.
Every industry has different requirements. Thus, the web app needs to be personalized as per the audience. The developers can access this hierarchy and name the elements and functions as they want for better accessibility in the future. This way, several personalized web apps for different applications are tailored to the audience.
Most Popular Web Apps Built on Vue.js Framework
Google, Apple, Facebook and some other web apps use Vue.js for some of their functionalities. But, since we are discussing web apps based on the Vue.js framework, let us walk you through some of the mainstream web apps that use it.
The platform is a derivative of an Adobe Project that lets users showcase their talent for designing and visual arts in front of the world. When you visit Behance’s web app, you’ll lose yourself in the soothing user interface.
The images, the layout and the loading speed of Behance make it a perfect example of a web app that was curated on Vue.js.
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’d have heard of Grammarly. It has become one of the most loved proofreading and editing apps on the planet. Vue.js powers the incredible user experience that we all love.
It is much like a social media platform, 9GAG offers users to connect with people worldwide and upload and enjoy content on the web app. When you visit the web app, you can see the login, sign up, and post buttons immediately.
Next, you will see the content right in the middle lane of the app, which is the perfect placement for the users visiting the web app. Hence, 9GAG is yet another masterpiece of a web app created using Vue.js.
Thinking About Building a Web App Using Vue.js? Keep This in Mind.
Very first thing we understood while discussing Vue.js is that it is for Single Page Applications (SPA) and User Interfaces. Now, UI is a part of an application and not compulsorily the application itself. Also, it is not necessary that the web app you are planning on building will have just one page.
Thus, if you want to make an application that performs complex and high-end operations, Vue.js might not be the right choice.
Wrapping Up!
Vue.js provides a solid user experience for single page applications (SPA). Imagine a lightweight JS framework that has no heavy functions. Just by using HTML, CSS and the Java Script, you can deliver user experience that your users deserve.
