- Image via Wikipedia
A widget is defined as a control element of GUI or stand-alone application that displays information on a website. It’s a piece of reusable code that can be added to websites or social networks. Widgets are a popular way to add interesting and dynamic content. Widgets are also commonly known as badges, portlets, gadgets, and webjit.
Types
Widgets come in different shapes and sizes, but the most common types are desktop and web widgets. Desktop widgets are inserted on local computers, whereas web widgets are intended for embedding in web pages. Examples of desktop widgets include window, hyperlink, cursor, menu, toolbar, and button. Web widget examples include clocks, tickers, ads, voting, news, and tags.
Widget Use
Widgets are small applications made up of HTML code or Java scripts that can easily be added to a site with a simple click and copy. Whether it is a company website or any online colleges website, all can be benefited by using interactive widgets that add engagement, aggregate web content, increase brand or product awareness, and grow the audience.
Bloggers use widgets to enhance their pages, create links to other blogs or sites, track followers, poll users about content, and count their online visitors.
Deciding which widgets to use on your site depends on the following:
• Site content-If you request information from your user using a set of known values, you’ll want to present these options in a form of checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdown, or list boxes. Instead of leaving the user confused as to what is an acceptable response.
• Technology-Consider the users’ systems including screen resolution, Internet speed, and browser type before adding a widget. You might be surprised where widgets can be placed when displayed at different screen resolutions.
• User characteristics-Determine your target audience and user habits. Studies show that younger generations like the interaction of widgets and are more likely to click on them than older generations.
With the information at hand, are you ready to try adding widgets to your website or blog?
