Best practices of front-end development
Front-end development involves constructing the visual and interactive aspects of websites and applications—the parts users see and engage with directly. In the context of UAE government digital platforms, a robust front-end ensures all users, regardless of device, ability, or internet access, can seamlessly interact with public services.
Establishing a reliable, standards-compliant front-end is critical to the success of digital services. Without it, issues with maintainability, poor user experience, or limited accessibility can obstruct service delivery and public trust.
This document outlines core principles and actionable techniques for building effective, high-performing, accessible, and scalable front-ends. It adheres to the UAE Design System, helping teams across government entities produce consistent and future-ready digital products.
Core Principles
Our frontend development is guided by foundational principles that ensure robust, performant, and inclusive digital experiences. By emphasizing speed, progressive enhancement, modularity, and accessibility from the start, we deliver solutions that are scalable, maintainable, and accessible to all users in line with UAE Design System standards.
Performance-First Development
Code and assets must contribute meaningfully to speed. Anything that adds load or complexity should be evaluated for necessity.
Progressive Enhancement and Graceful Degradation
Build from a functional HTML foundation and progressively enhance the experience. If advanced features aren't supported, ensure fallback functionality remains usable.
Component-Based Architecture
Develop user interfaces as reusable, encapsulated components. This structure supports scalability, modularity, and design consistency across services.
Accessibility-First Thinking
Incorporate accessibility from the beginning. Follow WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards to ensure digital inclusion for users with diverse needs.
These principles work together to create a robust foundation for government frontend development. They ensure that we build websites and applications that are not just functional, but also performant, inclusive, and future-proof. Throughout this guide, we'll explore how these principles translate into specific technical implementations and best practices.
Performance-First Development
Prioritising performance ensures that digital government services are accessible, fast, and efficient for everyone — including users on slow networks, older devices, or with limited data plans. By building with performance in mind from the start, developers can significantly improve user satisfaction, reduce bounce rates, and align with Core Web Vitals metrics that reflect real-world experience.
Target Metrics
These metrics reflect how quickly and smoothly a page loads and becomes usable for the public. Meeting these targets helps ensure everyone — including users on slow connections or older devices — can access essential services without delays or frustration. By tracking and improving these performance indicators during development, government websites and apps can deliver faster, more inclusive digital experiences.
Largest Contentful Paint
First Contentful Paint
Time to Interactive
Performance directly impacts how citizens and residents access government services. When building frontend applications, developers must prioritise performance at every decision point. This applies to websites, service portals and mobile applications.
The strategy
Implement efficient bundle splitting and lazy loading
Break your application and website code into smaller chunks that load on demand. Rather than loading everything at once, split your code by routes and features, allowing users to download only what they need for their current task.
//Example;
const Reports = React.lazy(() => import('./pages/Reports'));
Optimise images and media assets
Implement automated image optimisation during build processes. Use modern formats like WebP, serve responsive images based on device requirements, and lazy load images below the fold to reduce initial page load time.
<img src="hero-small.webp" srcset="hero-small.webp 480w,
hero-medium.webp 768w,
hero-large.webp 1200w"
sizes="(max-width: 600px) 480px,
(max-width: 960px) 768px, 1200px"
loading="lazy" alt="Hero image responsive to screen size" />
Minimise third-party dependencies
Carefully evaluate each external dependency's impact on bundle size and performance. Regular audit dependencies and remove unused ones. Usually, loading tracking libraries and other tools may add a lot more load time - eventually doing more harm than good. Ensure you are only using what is required.
Implement effective caching strategies
Create a structured caching approach using browser caching and service workers. Set appropriate cache durations for different types of content, and implement API response caching to improve subsequent page loads.
// Example of caching static assets with Nginx
// Add to nginx.conf inside the appropriate server/location block:
location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|woff|woff2|ttf|svg|webp)$ {
expires 7d;
add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
}
Monitor Core Web Vitals
Track essential metrics like Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift. Use tools like Lighthouse and Chrome DevTools to identify and fix performance bottlenecks regularly.
THESE ARE ONLY EXAMPLES - THERE CAN BE MORE
- Webpack or Vite for modern build optimisation
- Lighthouse for performance monitoring and auditing
- Browser DevTools Performance panel for runtime analysis
Progressive enhancements
Build applications that work across different devices and network conditions. A key aspect to always consider is that when building websites and applications for governments, you must consider that your audience may be on an old device using an old browser. You cannot block the end user from completing a task or a service. If such a service cannot be completed, you must offer an alternative use.
Overall, the website or application must allow for "Graceful Degradation" - meaning, when a browser, device or operating system is detected that may cause a certain feature to not work properly, there must be a level of information that must be provided to the user on how to use an alternative method or provide the user with a limited feature-filled, yet functional service.
For example, you may have a layout that uses "flex box" as a layout strategy, which may not be supported on older browsers. There must be a fallback which may not entirely achieve the same layout on older browsers, but still provides a usable layout that may not look like the original one.
Implementation strategy
ARIA attributes serve as a crucial bridge in making complex web interfaces accessible, particularly important for government services that must serve all citizens equally. When implementing ARIA, follow these essential practices:
- Start with a solid HTML foundation that works without JavaScript
- Add enhanced functionality progressively
- Implement fallbacks for modern features
- Provide appropriate feedback for different loading states
Component Architecture
Modern frontend applications should be built using a component-based architecture that promotes reusability and maintainability:
Create atomic components
Build small, single-purpose components that follow the atomic design principle. The UAE design system offers components and blocks that can be used. However, your website itself must be built in macro components based on the ability to reuse significant blocks.
Implement smart and presentational separation
Separate components into those that handle logic (smart) and those that handle display (presentational). This makes testing easier and improves reusability across different government services.
Ensure component isolation
Components should work independently with well-defined props and interfaces. Avoid tight coupling between components, making them portable across different government projects and easier to maintain.
Finally, document the components you have built for your application and website. Documentation would help other team members or future team members reuse components rather than reinventing the wheel.
Development approach
- Use a modern framework like React or Vue.js for component-based development, and strategise to build your website or application using a modern JavaScript framework and an API-first approach.
- Implement strict typing using TypeScript for better maintainability. Although not necessary, this is a suggestion to ensure strict code usage.
- Create a component library that can be shared across different government projects.
- Establish clear patterns for component composition and communication
Accessibility and Internationalisation
All UAE government websites and applications must be accessible to all users and support both Arabic and English interfaces. Accessibility support means coding your front end to comply with features integrated into the browser and operating system.
Adding a plugin or promoting the user to activate an accessibility feature specifically does not mean your front-end is accessible. Accessibility compatibility means to ensure your code reacts to settings made by the end-user on their browser, device or operating system.
Job Access With Speech (JAWS) is a computer screen reader program for Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a refreshable Braille display. JAWS is produced by the Blind and Low Vision Group of Freedom Scientific.
Have you tested your website with software like JAWS, Microsoft Narrator or NVDA?
WCAG compliance implementation
Follow a WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines in your development process. Ensure proper semantic markup, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility. Test regularly with accessibility tools during development.
ARIA Implementation
ARIA attributes serve as a crucial bridge in making complex web interfaces accessible, particularly important for government services that must serve all citizens equally. When implementing ARIA, follow these essential practices:
- Use
aria-liveregions to announce important updates like form submission status or error messages - Implement proper
aria-expanded,aria-selected, andaria-pressedstates for interactive elements - Connect form controls with their labels using
aria-labelledbyoraria-describedbywhen standard HTML associations aren't sufficient - When building custom components that don't have natural HTML semantics, use appropriate ARIA roles and states to convey their purpose and behaviour to assistive technologies.
- Use
aria-currentfor navigation to indicate the current page or step in multi-step processes. Implement proper landmarks witharia-labeloraria-labelledbyto create clear document structure, which is especially important for bilingual interfaces.
Development approach
-
Use semantic HTML and provide visual focus cues. Maintain sufficient colour contrast.
<nav aria-label="Main Navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="/services">Services</a></li> </ul> </nav> -
Use ARIA where necessary for accessibility enhancements
<div role="alert" aria-live="polite">Form submitted successfully.</div> <button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="faq1">Show FAQ</button> <div id="faq1" hidden>FAQ content here</div>
This guide presents essential strategies for front-end development in the UAE government’s context. By focusing on accessibility, performance, reusability, and progressive enhancement, development teams can build robust and inclusive services that align with national standards and user needs.
Practical Guidelines for Developers
Making the right choices during implementation is critical. This section provides real-world examples of correct and incorrect development patterns based on UAE government frontend standards — helping teams avoid common pitfalls and follow tested approaches.
Keep Components Atomic & Modular
Build small, reusable parts that can be composed into larger UI pieces.
Use atomic building blocks (Button, Label) and combine them into macro components.
Create giant “mega‑components” mixing UI, business logic, and layout.
Separate Smart vs Presentational Components
Organise code to clearly separate data-handling logic from rendering.
Use container (smart) components for state and fetch logic, presentational components only for UI.
Merge data fetching, state updates, and DOM markup in one file.
Optimize Assets & Images
Serve performant media using modern formats and lazy loading.
Use WebP/AVIF, responsive images, and loading="lazy".
Load large JPEGs uncompressed above the fold.
Use Code-Splitting and Lazy Loading
Load only what is necessary to improve load performance.
Implement route-based code-splitting (e.g., React.lazy, dynamic imports).
Bundle all pages together into one huge JS file.
Keep Third‑Party Dependencies Lean
Only include essential external scripts after auditing size and impact.
Audit bundles, remove unused code, and carefully choose analytics/UX scripts.
Add multiple heavy frameworks/plugins without checking their performance cost.
Build for Progressive Enhancement & Graceful Degradation
Ensure the service works even in older browsers or without JavaScript.
Start with functional HTML, add JS features progressively, and provide fallbacks.
Block access or break essential flows if a feature or script fails.
Maintain High Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA)
Deliver an inclusive UX by design, tested with assistive tools.
Use semantic HTML, screen reader testing (JAWS, NVDA), keyboard navigation, role attributes.
Rely on visuals, omit semantic elements, or skip assistive tech testing.
Rely on Semantic HTML + ARIA Enhancements
Use native HTML elements first; enhance only when needed.
Use <nav>, <button>, and add ARIA roles/states when native elements are insufficient.
Use <div role="button"> or add ARIA to replace proper HTML semantics.
Setup Effective Caching & Performance Monitoring
Apply proper cache strategies and routinely audit performance.
Use browser caching, service-workers, and track Core Web Vitals (LCP, FCP, TTI).
Serve all assets without cache headers or skip performance reviews.
Document & Publish Component Usage
Clear documentation supports reuse and consistency across teams.
Maintain docs with props, states, visual examples, usage guidelines.
Ship components without explanation, naming conventions, or intended use.
