SPAs and the Role they Play in Improving User Experiences

Single-page applications, i.e. a particular type of web app that runs on a browser and dynamically updates content on the page instead of reloading it, have become quite popular over the past few years. As the name implies, SPAs comprise just one page. Anyway, the point is that they have become quite popular for their ability to deliver high-quality user experiences. To better understand how they enable such user experiences and the functioning of single-page apps, here is an overview of their architecture and how these apps function.

Given single-page apps’ web architecture, the HTML file is sent only once by the server upon the first request. After that, the JSON data is sent when the user makes further requests. What that means is that instead of reloading the page every time a user action requires new data or content, SPAs simply rewrite the content on the current page itself. What this means is that the user is, then, not required to wait for the page to reload every single time. And, as web developers increasingly utilize SPAs to create fast and responsive websites, they’re becoming the new "normative" across the web. The SPA web architecture is today suggested as a solution to address the growing standards of a seamless and pleasant user experience (UX) – something that businesses largely depend on to achieve digital marketing success. Cutting a long story short, SPAs’ dynamic content loading enables a high-quality and engaging user experience.

Now let us take a look at the key advantages of SPAs and how they help improve user experiences:

1. Agile UI design: The primary way in which SPAs can facilitate high-quality user experiences is via their support for elements that facilitate engaging interactions. Be it menus, selections, drop-down menus, etc. — one can use a variety of interactive elements in the SPA.
2. Increased speed: Among the most cited benefits of single-page apps is the fact that as compared to conventional websites, they help prevent the exertion of unnecessary additional load on the server. This is why single-page apps, unlike websites that suffer from constant reloading and diminished speeds, etc., can offer users experiences that rank high on the efficiency and functionality scales.
3. No constant page reloading: Decidedly one of the most important benefits of a single page app in the context of user experience is that the need for continually reloading the page is eliminated. As a result, the user experience receives a significant boost since the single-page app can deliver a more innate and naturally-flowing environment.
4. Reusable code: This one is more of a benefit for the company and the development team, but an important benefit nonetheless. The web architecture of single-page apps enables the scope for code reusability, i.e. the same code can also be used to develop the native app version of a given single-page app.

The demands and expectations of new-age users of digital tools such as apps, etc. are evolving at a rapid pace. It is this change that has driven the growing demand for web solutions that are not only substantially more user friendly and intuitive and deliver a faster browsing experience but are also efficient to develop. This is why single-page applications have grown so rapidly in the market, slowly but surely taking over the reins from other conventional forms of web development. So, if you believe your organization too can benefit from such an app, you should immediately start looking for a trusted SPA development company at the earliest.