Front-end developer 101: Introductions

Tags: Features, Front-end Developer, Skills, Who, Why

Posted By: Avadhi K

So, while surfing on Internet whenever a new website opens, have you ever had a thought how does all these things works? The image, the effect, the change on just one click…. As a child I always used to wander how is all such things possible? But as time passed, somehow I reached my 8th grade and was introduced to the programming languages like HTML, CSS, C++, Java, etc.… At that particular point of time, I thought what is all these? Why am I even learning these things? But now as we have entered the era of technology, I look behind and think whatever we learned was for a certain reason. So, getting back to website, while surfing we do think that who are the people who built the website, the look, the elements, the visuals and how complicated it would have been to build such enormous sites? Well, all these visual effective elements are built by a front-end developer. What skills or features would be needed to become a Front-end Developer.

Who is Front-end Developer?

A front-end developer is someone who ensures the look, working, and visual effects of a website, someone who creates computing codes which will be directly viewable and accessible to end-user. Front-end developer is also known as client-end developer. Whatever you see on a website in the navigation, the layout page, the article page, the product page, even the view of website you see on your mobiles or tablets which are visually different from your computers are all designed by a front-end developer.

Why do we need a Front-end Developer?

Now, you guys must be thinking why will we need a Front-end Developer? We can do that ourselves by surfing on Google and watching YouTube videos. But sorry dear! This is not like learning any new dish – you will watch on Google for ingredients and YouTube for method and you will cook it. A clear NO!! Here you will need a Front-end Developer because of following reasons:

• Technology keeps changing:

In the digitalization era, new technologies keep evolving on a daily basis. You give your 100% efforts learning particular technology and BOOM!! All of a sudden, the technology either updates or new technology similar or more advanced is originated in the market and all your efforts of learning is gone into vain. If this cycle continues, you are going to drain your whole-time learning technology and end up using it nowhere.

• Direct contact with Technology:

In the beginning, when you hire a developer you may feel it to be a bad investment but as time passes your ability to work under competitive pressure will enhance and you will hold a stable place. In order to save this cost, you may lose some opportunity which may be more profitable to you. Moreover, developers are always in direct contact with technology. They have every alternative to provide you which may be better than existing ones. It is even easy for them to learn updates easily because of their expertise which saves time for you that can be used elsewhere in more productive activity.

• To protect your website from bugs:

Here, the situation is like any famous Bollywood movie. Imagine technology as a villain, your site as your movie heroine. Now, as a decent director this will be the situation where you will want your hero to make a grand entry. So, this is what exactly happens in Web Development. Here, your hero will be a developer who will save your heroine, i.e., a site whenever villains, which are many, namely, bugs, updates, etc.… interferes. Here, if the director tries to do both roles (director and hero) he will be able to but it will be burdensome and time taking.

• Pleasurable View:

You may be a master in designing a best site or web page but it’s not always necessary that you may also be able to build it. This is just like that an architecture can make designs for your house but you have to hire a civil engineer to actually build it in a physical form. An architecture won’t be able to do it and even if he does, it won’t have the same perfection as of civil engineers. You will only a pleasurable view of your website or web page when it’s completely made as per the features designed.

What skills or key features do Front-end Developer should have?

Every person is born with some special skills. There are certain skills a Front-end Developer should posses. They are:

• Primary Coding Language:

A frontend Developer should have knowledge of 3 primary languages of coding – HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. A front-end developer develops a site using these coding languages. Whatever way the site runs it is totally depended on the codes written by frontend developer. It is like legislature body of government making the laws (as of in India) which here are Backend Developers and the Executive who actually brings that laws in practice which are here Frontend Developers. Moreover, Frontend Developer also does work of Judiciary System. A judiciary body looks that if there are any flaws in the execution of laws in the same way frontend developer makes sure if there are no errors or bugs in website.

• Responsive in all devices:

Now if you imagine the above example here, a central body will establish a law but the law is not viewed profitable or in interest of different sates according to them. So in this situation, central government enforces a slightly flexible law which can be adapted by states as per their interest and need. Same way a web developer has to design a website which can be viewed properly in all devices and browsers. The code differs from each other for different devices or web browsers.

• Testing and Debugging:

Before putting up the website live on web, it needs to be tested whether all the buttons, features, transitions are working properly in all devices or not. A frontend developer should have a knowledge of Unit Testing. Unit Testing means blocks which directs website on how it should work. Debugging generally means, removing bugs or errors which are resisting a website to work properly. The bugs have to be detected and the problem has to be fixed by a frontend developer.

• Problem Solving Skills:

The task of developing a website totally depends upon Trial-and-error method. You keep making mistakes and detect it and solve it. A frontend developer should have problem solving skills. Every problem should be viewed as puzzles by a frontend developer rather than a Disaster. A skilled frontend developer will try to fix the problem and anticipate it.

• Grasp on Skills:

A frontend developer should keep practicing coding regularly. This may help them to have a grasp on their skills. The technology keeps changing over time as discussed earlier. The new technology is always an updated version of the old ones. If you have a good grasp on older technologies it won’t create a havoc for you to learn new technology. The grasp of skills in coding can also help a developer in problem solving.

• Seeing things from client/end-user’s aspect:

A developer should keep in mind who are the end users of the websites. A website has to be made depending on who are the end users. The client’s needs has to be satisfied. The designs of websites also depends on the end users of the website. For example, if the websites are for Babies the color will be either Light Blue or Baby Pink, if the website are for some activity’s promotion like Martial Arts or Karate the preferred color may be Black, if the site is for senior citizens the content should be simplified and straightforward.

After reading this you may be thinking I want to become a frontend developer but how? We have a solution. Stay tuned on our website regularly to know how to become a frontend developer phase by phase. Hope you enjoyed reading it!