Progressive decoupling: A how-to with an example from the World Health Organisation

Speaker(s)
rodrigoaguilera
kalabro
Session track
Sitebuilding
Experience level
Intermediate
Duration
50 min

Progressive decoupling for Drupal was mentioned back in the 2016 DriesNote and has come a long way since then. 

Although there are still downsides and tradeoffs to be made with a decoupled site, through progressive decoupling (rather than full decoupling), there is even more to be gained.

In this session we will share:

  • Why we set up the multi-lingual WHO EQUIP (Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial Support) project as a progressively decoupled PWA, and how to decide if progressive decoupling is right for your project.
  • The benefits that we have seen from using progressive decoupling for EQUIP for reactivity, interactivity, and server load reduction.
  • How to create and configure JavaScript widgets using React to create flexible applications for improved user experience.
  • How we set up our development efforts using distributed delivery for multi-dev projects.
  • The best tech stack that we have found for progressively decoupled sites.
  • How to set up metadata and stakeholder reeady catalog for your progressively decoupled site.
  • How to manage production-ready dependencies for your site.

We will show each step using the real example of EQUIP. This is a highly interactive LMS (learning management system) and competency-based assessment tool, with some unusual functionality such as right-to-left languages and offline use.

It's a project that has been mentioned in Scientific American as an example of new ways of using technology to help fill the gaps in global mental health support provision, and is now in use by thousands of people in multiple languages.

This session will be presented by Kate Marshalkina (Tech Lead) and Rodrigo Aguilera (Senior Developer).

Session video: