Building a robust frontend using progressive enhancement – Service Manual – GOV.UK
September 30, 2024
For users to experience a quality service it must be built in a robust way.Progressive enhancement is a way of building websites and applications based on the idea that you should make your page work with HTML first.
Only after this can you add anything else like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript.All government services must follow progressive enhancement, even if part of the service or a parent service needs JavaScript
- Building your service using progressive enhancement will:
- ensure your service is robust and of a high quality
- make it more likely your service will work regardless of which browser or device is being used
- mean your service’s most basic functionality will work and meet the core needs of the user
- improve accessibility by encouraging best practices like writing semantic markup help users with device or connectivity limitations to use your service
Source: Building a robust frontend using progressive enhancement – Service Manual – GOV.UK
The UK’s Government Digital Service is the pioneer in delivering digital services to the public. They strongly advocate for a progressive enhancement approach to sites that deliver government services. Here’s why, with case studies.
