The influence of AJAX on Web usability

In this paper we discusses some pros and cons of using AJAX for increasing the usability of Web applications. As AJAX allows Web applications look like desktop applications, it can increase the learnability of a Web application. Nevertheless, AJAX can also be the source of end user frustration if the XMLHttpRequest is not supported by the browser, Javascript is not available, or an Internet connection is missing. We also provide some workarounds for server response time gaps, for example by providing visible user feedback messages) and enabling the back button to work properly.