With reference to Web Development, Front end development is mainly client-side development, which helps users to see and interact with the interface directly. This interface needs to be relevant to the context and in a layout that is easily perceivable by even the most naive of the users. It should run uniformly on all platforms and devices. For anyone who is considering a career in Front-End Development, there is a specific set of skills to be mastered. Along with that, additional knowledge of the associated technologies that are used can be of great advantage.
The topmost skills for front end developers mainly depend on the scope of work that different organizations define for the role. However, these scope definitions vary a lot and hence need to be averaged out for defining a baseline. Let us start with the basic skill sets for now. These skills can be categorized into Technical and Non-Technical skills.
1. Technical Skills:
HTML/CSS/JavaScript: HTML or Hypertext Markup Language provides the main structure of a web page. It is more of a presentation language rather than a programming language. CSS or Cascading Style Sheets attributes to the styling and defines the look and formatting of the HTML page. CSS can be applied to any kind of XML document including SVG and XUL. It helps to create visually engaging web pages and user interfaces for mobile applications. JavaScript is a high- level, interpreted programming language which makes a webpage interactive. These are the 3 most essential requirements for anyone who is looking into a career as a Front-End Developer. More advanced the knowledge, the better. These provide the basic look and feel of the interface
CSS Pre-processors: These process the CSS codes, in order to make them cross-browser friendly before the website is published. Knowledge of these pre-processors adds to the ease of front-end developers.
2. JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries–
Angular, React and Vue.js are all frameworks & libraries of the Javascript Programming Language. The Angular ecosystem has four data libraries and support in IDEs. React offers declarative views, making the code easier to debug. React uses node to render on the server. React Native can power Mobile Apps.
JQuery can be considered as the most powerful Javascript Library. Vue.js is one another open-source progressive Javascript framework that helps to build user interfaces similar to React.
Beyond the above, front end developers can also be skilled in Content Management Systems, User Experience(UX), Wireframing, Version Control, Web Font Embedding, Responsive Web Design, UI Widgets, Templating Engines, Web Browser Security and Browser Developer Tools.
Testing & Debugging: Knowing how to debug is an exceptional ability for anyone who is a developer. Once you understand your code, you understand what output is to be expected. Similarly, you should be able to map an error to its corresponding code. Such ability comes with rigorous coding and logical aptitude. If you need to test each line of code to find the cause of an error, development is then going to be a very tiresome profession. In order to detect errors, developers need to have an understanding of test cases. Thus, familiarizing yourself with a few testing methods and testing tools will transform you into a complete package.
3. Non-Technical of Soft Skills
Analytical Understanding: This is a very important skill that every developer needs to understand. Developing reusable code is a great time and money saver for an organization. A developer should always consider developing reusable codes, which can be used not only by him but by his team members across different projects. Such codes are tried and tested and save on time immensely.
Good Communication and Teamwork is the key element throughout a project lifecycle. Understanding your team members, brainstorming together, supporting each other’s development work makes the entire project development lifecycle smoother and delivers the project faster.
4. Continuous Learning and Continuous Development
The codes developed by a developer run in web platforms that fall under one of the following — Windows, Chromium, Ubuntu, Android, IOS, OS X. These Operating Systems run in Desktop, Laptop, Tablets, Mobile Phones, TV, and the Internet of Things(IoT). A developer will always be exposed to new environments. It is preferable to have a conceptual knowledge of the above and extend them as you go as per your work environment. The main challenge of front-end development is that the respective tools and their associated techniques are updated constantly. This makes the already deployed interfaces prone to errors and malfunctions. Also, supporting platforms and Operating Systems are updated frequently. Hence, developers need to keep themselves at par with changing technologies. As you continue to be in this profession, you will gain experience and you will be expected to take higher positions. Continuous learning and continuous development will ensure that you are always at par will the latest technologies, ready to take up new ventures and achieve new milestones for the organization and for yourself as well.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a Web Interface for your business, there are a few steps that you need to consider. A web development project involves certain technological challenges. Thus, you need to hire a workforce that is up-to-date with the latest technology in this frontier so that later after deployment, only small version updates level your web interface with the current hardware and software configurations. The latest tools in front end development cover Angular, React, Vue, Jquery, SASS, Bootstrap, HTML 5 and CSS 3. In addition to front end development, you may also avail services in the field of Mobile App Development Services, Chatbots, DevOps Consulting and Growth Hacking Services. In addition to the greatly reputed web development companies in the market, Squareboat is one such workforce that helps create exceptionally customized solutions for you by adhering to the latest technical requirements and ensuring that the interfaces run seamlessly on any environment.