As a follow up to Matt's
How to Hire a Good Web Developer article, I thought I would expand on the subject a little more and discuss common traits good web developers have. These are things I've noticed in working with or talking to web developers at all skill levels -- from someone who still uses Front Page all the way to Google employees who maintain large-scale web applications. So, when you're hiring your next web developer, reflect on these traits as you talk with applicants about their work history, philosophies, and their personal growth.
Good web developers...
- Are always unsatisfied with their work
I mean this in the best way possible. Good web developers should always be "not 100% satisfied" with their level and quality of work. They should always be saying to themselves, "I can do this better." The resulting behavior is a never-ending cycle of learning how to develop websites that are better, faster, and easier to scale, which means good things for you, your business, and your web application.
- Have improved their skill set lately
I've seen far too many crappy web developers who learned how to design with tables in 2001 or learned Perl back in 2000, and have been developing like that ever since. I'm not saying that someone can't get really, really good at Perl and make a career out of it, but good web developers are always reading up on new technology or languages to improve themselves (see #1). If they're not versed in it, they should at least be able to tell you a few new things coming down the pipe in the web development sphere. If you're curious, that's currently micro formats.
- Don't promise everything
I know what my limits are as a developer. I know that if someone asks me to create a Flash app or write anything more with JavaScript than some basic things with the Prototype framework, I can't. So when a client or boss comes to me and asks if I can do it, I tell them that's beyond my limits. This skill set inadequacy helps to fuel the fire behind point #2 as well.
- Think ahead
Like a good business developer, a good web developer should always be thinking, "How well will this work and/or scale down the road?" It's a key component to both writing good code as well as creating maintainable and scalable websites. If you ask a web developer if they can do task X, and they say "Yes," the next words out of your mouth should be, "Tell me how X will scale."
- Are as accurate as possible
Web development is a precise field. Leaving out one character of code can render an entire website useless. Good web developers always focus on making sure they understand and deliver things as accurate as possible. They should show they understand the project goals and deliverables. They should ask a lot of clarifying questions about what they're being asked to do. And, they also shouldn't be afraid to ask follow up questions later on to make sure they get things correct.
Of course, not every good web developer has all of these traits. But, I'd be willing to bet that all have at least one of them. They're just things that show the web developer is passionate about what they're doing and cares about you, your company, and the future.
Brilliant.
I think you hit the nail staight on with #1 and #2. What might be more interesting, or scary, is the percentage of those who fall short on either of those.
Two thoughts...
I think most people would be amazed, or bored with the reality of the web design/development (while their are distinctions between the two, from a common world perspective I'll lump them together) world where I think at least 50% of the time is spent reading and learning, constantly, including whats new and even frustratingly, relearning some bit or piece here or there that was already learned once upon a time.
Contrary what most people probably believe.... graphic designers != web designers
Now before electron stones begin to fly, I'm not saying that graphic designers cannot be web designers, kind of like saying that a square is also a rectangle but a rectangle is not necessarily a square.... a web designer is a web designer (which is primarily code focused), if they happen to also be a graphic designer, then all the more power to them.
I think this also illustrates how much the rest of the world still has no concept of "this world"... it is always good for a chuckle to read job postings for web designers/webmasters... which essentially, quite often, expect at a bare minimum, that the person is able to write x/HTML, javascript, some or multiple versions of coding (PHP, ASP, etc.), Flash, video and audio editing, be an expert graphic designer, a copywriter, as well as being able to maintain computer network of the business, and now of course, able to guarantee #1 ranking in search engines through SEO, and an SEM expert.
Just as web designers are in a completely different kettle to web developers. Though the line gets pretty grey at times.
And I thought #1 was a character deficiency on my part. Finally, I feel validated!
No, not at all! It's really a trait good Engineers have as well, so feel excited that you feel the same way.
Nice Post Fluxx! Keep it Up!
I highly agree on this one "Of course, not every good web developer has all of these traits. But, I'd be willing to bet that all have at least one of them."
Any post about how to motivate a artists (web/graphic designers and developers) to work well?
Great post, I hope any web developers reading use this post as a self evaluation guideline to judge how they are doing. Web 2.0 is a different beast with different design element needs. To design successful websites that sell, designers are going to need to stay in front of the design trends of Web 2.0
I agree completely. A web designer needs to take everything into account before any work commences. A website must be thoroughly planned out and all ideas brainstormed in case you cannot achieve them. Everything from font size to imagery should be take into consideration, prior to the design process.
The user will need to be able to navigate your site without any confusion and must be kept entertained at all time to keep interest. As a web designer myself, I feel that planning can really make a difference and improve the structure of a site.
Me too - thanks
You're welcome ;)
If you do have all these traits, it looks like you might be on the top of Todd's list!
https://www.stuntdubl.com/2007/01/08/stuntjob/...
Shhh, let Todd find his own Pollard!
This ties into (1), but the good web developers I know are always open to criticism. Ours is a very client-oriented business and we can't afford to behave like temperamental artists (or, frankly, some of the print designers I've worked with).
Knowing how to deal with, for the lack of a better word, idiotic client requests is a good thing too. You can't just say, "frames are BAD!" and not justify it with actual evidence and arguments like some web developers do.
On my good days, I remember that the trick is to find alternatives that both the client and I can live with. Just saying "no" never works out well. Neither does saying "Holy crap, you're an idiot!" :)
Like this diva? ;)
Zing!
Ouch.
haha, shut the hell up
See what I mean?
Great information. I agree with everything you mentioned :)
Dude, microformats aren't exactly new. Only recently started hitting the mainstream, I'll agree, with John successfully pushing them pretty hard now, but not *new*! :)
Alright, smart ass dude, what is "new"? Just thinking you should contribute something useful here.
Loved this article by the way, really seems to be true with the ones that care about web development.
Seriously, microfromats aren't new - Tantek started this stuff years ago. I'm sure XFN was in use 5 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see a '19' on the year, if I could find a date for when this stuff started. This is the same as people who say 'this new CSS stuff' just because *they* haven't gotten into it before. But, yeah, I know - I thought 'and I should finish by pointing out something shiny and newer' but at 8am and pre-caffeine, nothing was springing to mind :(
What is the newest of new things technically? ;) I spend too much time on the SEO forums and blogs these days and don't follow the technical publications so much, which makes it hard to know. Would Ruby be newer than microformats? Does back end count with the 'coolness' as front end stuff like microformats? Hmmm... ;)
(Its a nice short article, Fluxx - if I thought it was crap I wouldn't coment :) Sorry for going so off topic in the comments :( )
What I meant by that was things that are up and coming in the web sphere. Not new. Hell, PHP wasn't exactly NEW when it started to get popular in web dev (~1999).