OverREACTion? No! React, the Javascript Library 😉

It’s true user experience is everything.  

And, of course, design is critical to user experience. But did you know your choice of developer libraries, tools, and frameworks can have a profound impact on customer experience as well? 

In my opinion, if you care about the experience your users have when using your product or your website, you’ll use ReactJS. Here’s why. 

What is ReactJS?

ReactJS is an open source, scalable JavaScript library. It was created and is maintained by Meta, initially released in May 2013.  And it has since become one of the most used front-end libraries today, with over 40% of software developers using the framework!  

With React’s help, a developer can create quick and agile front ends for web-based applications.   

React’s value has been solidified by heavy market adoption. In fact, it's used by Salesforce, Netflix, and Dropbox, as well as two million plus other websites!  

But why exactly has React become the first choice for JavaScript libraries?

 
ReactJS simplifies building UI 

The first major benefit of React is that it can build reusable components, known as “learn once, write anywhere”. 

This core idea is what React is built around. When you want to create a web page, you can start with small building blocks of code, rather than coding the project from scratch. 

React makes the development process much easier because the developer can use the code provided and doesn’t have to write and re-write it repeatedly.  

When developers can reuse components, it helps to maintain a consistent look across the whole project. 

An important part of React JS is the virtual Document Object Model, or DOM.  

On most websites, when you open a menu more options populate so you can get more specific in your search. 

In a typical User Interface (UI), there is a tree structured model. If there is one change to the UI, it can break the “tree”. This causes the operations to change and slows down the rendering speed of the website dramatically.

To solve this, React JS uses the virtual DOM. The virtual DOM is a virtual representation of the real DOM that’s in use.  

The UI will be rendered into the virtual DOM first. Then, the virtual DOM will calculate the difference between the previous and current virtual DOM. After that, only the new changes will be rendered to the real DOM.  

This process minimizes the webpage’s repaint time and provides higher performance. And faster loading pages translates to a better user experience.  

React works well with other JavaScript tools 

Another benefit of ReactJS is its community of users and its ecosystem of other apps and tools that work with it.  

Every day, many front-end developers are working on projects in React.  

This creates more building blocks of code for their own projects and for others to use in the future.  

There are also many third-party tools that play in the React environment that can help to build better looking and more useful websites for users. 

Other UI building platforms such as MUI, or React-Strap, contain the most commonly used components, and work alongside React. These platforms also have many developers keeping them up to date.  

By using these systems in tandem with React, developers can build robust and high-quality user interfaces. 

This translates to a richer and therefore better user experience. 

Unidirectional Data Flow in React 

The third benefit of React is the way it maximizes data. 

React follows a unidirectional data flow, meaning that for all of the data, there is only one way to be transferred to other parts of the application.  

Let’s think about it this way. You need to tell your friend something vital.  

You need to guarantee that your friend doesn’t get mixed up or distracted by telling you something.  

So, you decide that rather than call your friend on the phone, and potentially lose service, or get caught up in gossiping, you will send them a text.  

In theory (and for my story's purpose), the text is the best way to convey the information, as it only goes from you to them.

In a unilateral data flow, you are the parent component, and your friend is the child component.  

The child component cannot update information without the parent component. This keeps the data flow architecture clean.  

The developer can also control the data flow better. 

Based on this data flow and structure, the web applications created by React JS are bugless. They have a smoother performance compared to those built by other tools which don’t support downward data flow. 

And, once again, bugless, high-performing sites translate to a better user experience. 

React and Tingono’s UI’s 

Ultimately, the goal is a better user experience. Happy customers and prospects stay longer, which is key to improving customer retention and customer expansion.  

But when it’s possible to use a library that improves both the customer experience and the developer experience? Now that is amazing—a true all-around win.  

So it may not surprise you to hear that at Tingono we’re using React to provide our customers with a better experience. One of the best parts about the way Tingono uses React is that we’re creating interfaces wherever you are. We’re making it easy for businesses to find insights and take action to engage their customers. Want to learn more? Talk to us!