Rich internet applications (RIAs) combine the universal access and flexibility of web services with the features, functionality, power and speed of the leading desktop software applications. While RIAs are a form of web application, they are very different than the simpler web applications you may have seen on popular social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace.

The easiest way to understand it is to think of RIAs as a desktop application on the internet, for example Microsoft Word & Adobe Buzzword are both word processors, but Word is a desktop application and Buzzword is a RIA. Buzzword has all the functionality of Word but also has additional advantages of the web; it can be accessed from any computer connected to the internet, and documents can be shared among several users.

The most important thing to understand about traditional desktop software applications, rich internet applications and standard html page based websites is the location of their computing power-where is their brain? The traditional desktop completes all of its tasks on your computer, the rich internet application uses your personal computer as well as a distant server, and the standard page based website relies solely on the distant server. By utilizing the power of your personal computer both the desktop and rich internet application have added functionality because all of their processes are not forced to travel to a distant server, instead these applications can interact immediately with the user.

The page based websites on the other hand are required to send request to servers that could be thousands of miles away. This means that each time an action or task is completed the webpage needs to refresh so that a user can see the changes that have been made. While much faster and more efficient than a fax machine the basic principle is the same, an action occurs the server takes this into account and sends back a static page to represent these changes.

A rich internet application utilizes the computing power to perform tasks directly on your personal computer, and then communicates these actions back to the server. This means interactions actually take place in the application, as opposed to the static page system where actions just appear to be interactive. For instance three or four years ago when using sites such as Yahoo! Maps or Mapquest you typed in an address and the map was displayed. If you wanted to look at the map to the east you would click on the east button and the page would have to reload. Now these sites use rich content. Instead of reloading the page you can drag the map much as you would in real life. These sites are actually interacting directly with the user instead of just asking the server to send back a static page image to the east.

Direct and immediate interactivity with the user is one of the most important characteristics of an RIA, and in the case of an online weight management system probably the most important quality. Due to considerable additional complexity involved in building RIAs many online companies simply do not have the resources or engineering know how to construct a rich internet application. The cost/engineering barrier to developing an RIA weighs heavily on whether or not the expense of development of an RIA is warranted for a specific web service. In the case of a weight loss management system the benefits are too great to ignore. Due to the quantity of small transactions (logging food, adopting and removing strategies, adding friends, sending messages & articles) it was very clear to us that a rich internet application was best suited to meet the needs of our users and was simply the best platform for thinjoy or really any weight loss program.


Without the need to refresh after every action thinjoy's application is faster than a regular website. Less refreshes mean less time waiting meaning you can log your food, create new strategies or message friends in half the time.

With a rich internet application we are not restricted to the limited set of behaviors that can be performed on the old page based system. This isn't just a feeling, new behaviors are characterized by a new freedom of movement and interactivity. In our app you interact directly with different application modules. This gives users more flexibility, and more control of the direction of their diet whether they are creating strategies or adjusting their food group plan, none of these "abilities" could even exist outside of a rich internet application.

With more design flexibility we can create new innovative features that best suit our users. We have already done this through the creation of strategies system and food group plan that are products of a functionality that does not exist on a static webpage.

Because our application does not have to interact with a remote server we have been able to build in several interface behaviors that could not occur on a traditional webpage. These behaviors are much more responsive than the click and point that most web users are accustom to. Some examples is the fluidity of adding and subtracting servings in the food group plan, interactivity with rich charting/graphs and calendars, highlighting foods to display relevant bundled foods in the food log and even the basic navigation inside the application.

Much of the improvement we have made in our application over existing online programs is not visible. We had the advantage of developing around a lot of the design flaws that are inherently built into the limitations of a traditional website. You can't really see these improvements unless you go back and try a competing system. Our competitors did not try to build "annoying" into their websites, it's just that they are limited in what they can and cannot do on a traditional website.

Like any other web service this is available on any computer with an internet connection you have an internet connection, no software download and installation is required. Mac or PC, Explorer or Firefox the application is exactly the same no matter where you are or what software you use.

With this platform we have much more flexibility in what we can and cannot design. This means we can develop new features in the future that will add even more functionality, making the dieting process just a little easier and the process just a little more enjoyable. What will we build next? The possibilities are endless.

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