Third-Party Scripts

As a web designer and builder, the list of things I’ve felt responsible for on the execution side of the process (once research, writing, planning, etc. reaches a point) has expanded over the years. Each new area of interest usually comes about via personal epiphany:

  • “I should probably start coding these designs myself.”
  • “Slow websites are bad for users and bad for business.”
  • “We shouldn’t build a website for every new type of device created.”

Designer Focus Animation

My latest realization is that delivering a performant, accessible, responsive, scalable website isn’t enough: I also need to consider the impact of third-party scripts. No matter how solid I think my prototype is, it doesn’t absolve me from paying attention to what happens during implementation, specifically when it comes to the addition of these third-party scripts. I now need to develop a comprehensive understanding of how popular third-party services (and their scripts) impact the quality of a website as it relates to the site owner and, of course, the user.

In conjunction with some of the performance consulting we’ve been doing at Paravel, this tweet from Harry Roberts helped flip the switch in my mind:

In the coming months, I’ll be researching tag managers, analytics, trackers, a/b testing tools, ads, etc. If you’ve read any posts, heard any talks, or have any resources that focus on this topic, please let me know!