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I have been working on a website which relies mainly on Ajax calls and jQuery to provide a rich user interface. Though the site looks just fine without JavaScript enabled. Some features like Login and Product Listing don't work because they are purely Ajax and jQuery based.
Should I optimize my website for users that don't have JavaScript enabled?
You know, I've read a lot of arguments on whether or not a site should allow for those who disable Javascript, and I've come to one conclusion: don't do it.
Javascript has become a standard of the web
I decided one day to disable Javascript and see if Facebook would function at all. It did not.
This is because Facebook is run on Javascript (for the most part) and functions with AJAX/jQuery and all these queues running simultaneously to allow a better and more effective experience on their application.
These days a lot of sites who maintain a highly interactive and highly immersive site rely on Javascript. Most people who do not have Javascript do it by choice. This is an important piece of information because this isn't an accessibility issue (if it were, that's a different story entirely).
Quite honestly, when it comes down to me building my applications I don't consider those people because I want to create a better seamless experience, and by hacking a half-baked one wont cut it anymore for me.
Consider this however
If your target user base is going to be turning off Javascript, then make a site without Javascript. It all comes down to the target user base. Don't do something where you'll know your users wont do it.
Final sum up
The number of users who are turning off Javascript is diminishing by the passing years, and my thoughts on that is because as technology keeps snow balling, the demand for a better experience keeps increasing. And having a page that constantly needs refreshing to update something wont cut it anymore for people. Just imagine your iPhone constantly going blank to load a new page or application... That would break the whole experience. In my honest opinion, I think you shouldn't do it, especially because you said your application heavily relies on Javascript and what it brings to the experience of your site.
Recent statistics shows that about 1.3% of web users have their Javascript turned off.
For the Guardian newspaper, an average of 2,200,000 visits a day translates to around 28,600 visitors without javascript, which I would worry about had I worked for the Guardian.
You may find in your own analytics that the percent is smaller (or possibly greater). The analytics will also give you the average visitors per day, so you can quickly work out how many visitors suffer from the lack of non-js support.
You may also find this a highly useful read.
Also notice, that there appears to be a growing consensus that Javascript increases accessibility, more than the lack of it damages it.
Ultimately, this is a pure cost/benefit issue. If the amount of users without javascript visiting your site everyday will generate more revenue than the cost of non javascript development, you should surely do it. Otherwise, it's really up to the business stakeholders to make such decision.
One factor you should consider, though, is that most responsive frameworks make heavy use of javascript. Without javascript, there will be a need for adaptive design, which is much more costly in terms of development - nearly impractical nowadays with the multitude of screen sizes.
I suppose it depends on your target audience.
Are you targeting customers who has outdated browsers? Or will the outdated browser be one in a million hits?
If it's a trivial task for you ( which I highly doubt), with no real implications, then do it.
If you are serving users who have modern browser, then I wouldn't really bother with it. Today if you are on a severely outdated browser, you should expect that you can't use most websites.
I'd suggest to ensure that your website/application is accessible and usable without JS.
You can then add additional functionality and convenience via JS.
The benefit is not only that people without JS can use your site but also that other accessibility problems and performance issues become much easier to solve when you don't necessarily rely on JS.
People often underestimate the number of users who can't run JS effectively (or at all). There's not only those who have it disabled but also people with:
You have to decide wether to exclude those people or not. After all, the point of the web is to make information accessible to EVERYONE.
