Building Flexible Web Apps with jQuery Mobile

Scott Jehl

Scott’s workshop will be a deep dive into the jQuery Mobile framework: a web standards toolkit aimed at creating web sites and applications that meet users wherever they are—and will be—be it on small mobile devices, desktop computers, touch-screen tablets, or otherwise!

The workshop will begin by introducing jQuery Mobile’s philosophy of universal accessibility, the challenges and benefits of cross-browser/device development, and the patterns, tools, and workflows provided by jQuery Mobile to help you build rich web apps that elegantly address your users’ needs. In the process, participants will get a candid, from-the-trenches look at some of the problems encountered—and lessons learned—while designing for the rapidly-changing mobile web.

You'll learn about:

  • The goals and philosophy of the jQuery Mobile Framework, and the widgets and patterns it provides
  • Integrating jQuery Mobile into a front-end codebase
  • Configuring jQuery Mobile, both through declarative HTML5 attributes and its JavaScript API
  • Working with CSS theming to create visual consistency across an application interface
  • Behaviour and event handling across different interaction modes such as touch, mouse, and keyboard
  • Targeting enhancements based on browser and device capabilities
  • Tips and gotchas for cross-device testing and debugging
  • Accessibility tips for creating apps that are both meaningful and convenient to users with disabilities
  • Extending jQuery Mobile with your own custom widgets
  • Patterns for designing apps that responsively adapt to the features and constraints of different devices

Scott Jehl is a web designer/developer, and member of Filament Group, Inc, a Boston-based design studio. An active participant in the web community, Scott is a jQuery team member and leads the development efforts of the jQuery Mobile Framework. He develops several other open-source projects as well, such as Respond.js, Responsive Images, MatchMedia polyfill, and more.

Scott has written for A List Apart, co-authored the book Designing with Progressive Enhancement (New Riders, 2010), and frequently speaks at conferences such as Mobilism 2011, Voices That Matter, and Breaking Development.