Could You? Should You?

One of my favorite quotes based on the proliferation of superfluous AJAX and DOM Scripting is simple, but oh so appropriate. It’s from the original Jurassic Park way back in 1993.

…your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

So often, it’s easy to get caught up in what we’re capable of doing, we don’t always stop to think if it really is worth doing. This shouldn’t be limited AJAX or DOM Scripting. It’s just as prevalent with virtually any facet of web design and development.

So the next time you’re working on a real project, stop and ask yourself if that fancy widget or interaction is truly valuable or desirable, or if it just seems neat. You might be surprised how much time gets freed up to focus on items that truly add value to the experience.