Every time a person accesses a website they aim to have a great user experience. Front end developers help to make sure that this happens. They provide the coding which controls the visuals and interactions that a website user experiences. They work in tandem with back end developers who are responsible for server side considerations which they integrate with front end development work.
It’s the role of a front end developer that many people think of when they hear the term web developer mentioned but the responsibilities of a front end developer are specific, so it’s important to recognise whether this is the type of web development that you would like to specialise in.
Responsibilities of a front end developer
It’s clear to see that a front end developer uses their skills to help ensure an excellent user experience for visitors to a website. They work closely with UI/UX designers in order to achieve this. Front end developers bridge the gap between the creation of design elements and their technical implementation. This means that they are involved in determining how websites look as well as how they work.
There are several responsibilities involved in carrying out this role.
- Developing user facing features on the website.
- Building code that can be reused and creating libraries in which to store the code for future use.
- Ensuring that UI/UX designs have the feasibility to be implemented successfully.
- Ensuring that websites are optimised for speed of use.
- Ensuring that any user input is validated before it’s submitted to the back end of the system.
In order to carry out these responsibilities effectively, it’s important that front end developers have the right skills and qualifications in place.
What skills and qualifications does a front end developer need?
There are several skills and qualifications that a front end developer should have. This includes knowledge of how their work impacts the performance of a website when it comes to attracting customers; find out more about this type of training via this link.
There are also more specific skills that a front end developer needs to have.
- A high level of proficiency in web markup, including HTML5, CSS3. These are the tools that a front end developer uses each day.
- A good understanding of the server side tools which are used by back end developers, such as LESS and SASS. This knowledge makes it easier to work seamlessly with back end developers.
- A high level of proficiency in client-side scripting and JavaScript frameworks. This includes the use of jQuery.
If you are thinking of training for a role and aims to have a job in front end development, these are the skills that you will need to acquire in order to find work.
Knowing what the work of a front end developer involves should help you to decide whether or not you want to specialise in this area. You may find that your talents are more suited to back end development, or that you want to acquire the skills necessary to enable you to find work in various areas of web development.