Front End Development

Front end development has the job of ensuring the system is easy and beneficial for the visitors. It hopes to create great experiences that can make the visitors stay on the website longer and come back in the future. Therefore, the developers have to create code that will result in useful icons, pictures, and other elements. Scroll down for more information.

What does a front-end developer do?

A front-end developer is an IT professional who works on the external look of a website or application. The appearance is what the user will first see. Thus, it should look neat, easy to navigate, and helpful. On the surface, such a website seems simple, but behind the scenes, it takes a lot of research and stages.

Front end development can’t stand alone. The programmer for this section needs to grasp which design or layout pleases the visitors. Besides, they have to be able to create a structure that will spark users’ interactions. Hence, the engineer has to collaborate with the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) designers to get the best layout.

For users, the programmers are the people behind the clickable buttons on an online page. They create image slides for various products in e-commerce, so the visitors can just swipe right and left. Plus, they also make registration forms where the users can fill them up smoothly.

Qualifications to become a front-end developer

Front end development combines coding, creativity, and problem-solving skills. On the technical side, a developer needs to excel at programming languages and libraries that will support the overall design ideas behind software products. Non-technical skills are equally important. This role requires a strong imagination and vision to achieve efficient outcomes. 

These skills will bring out an innovative design that looks pleasing to the eye. The programmer has to think about tiny details, like the font type and size, to deliver the utmost experience. If you are considering choosing this field for the future, please read the breakdown of the qualifications below.

• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Front end development relies on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as the main programming languages. The engineers use HTML to create web page’ structures, and CSS regulates the style and layout of the software products. While JavaScript adds the interaction and the dynamics of the pages, such as keyboard shortcuts.

• Framework and library front-end

A front-end developer has to understand frameworks, which become the foundation of features, like coding libraries and software. CSS frameworks, including Bootstrap or Materialise, help develop the design and ensure its consistency. Another one is JavaScript frameworks, such as React, Angular, or Vue. js, for making complex and interactive websites and applications.

• Responsive web designs

Front end development includes the knowledge of responsive design principles to make the web pages run smoothly across various screen and gadget types. The programmers have to ensure that all visitors will gain the same experience while browsing, regardless of their medium. These days, the engineers should focus on mobile layouts given the rising popularity of smartphones for accessing websites.

• Testing and debugging

During the front end development process, the engineer will have to check the coding so it is free from errors. When the engineers find a bug or a mistake, they have to correct it to make the whole website run well. Once the system is ready to launch, they will conduct a test to ensure the coding quality is good.

• RESTful services and APIs

RESTful (Representational State Transfer) services and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are necessary to make the software products lightweight. Therefore, the visitors will find the websites and applications easier and quicker to load. They will quickly leave websites that take longer to load, even if the content is useful and interesting to them.

• Teamwork 

Teamwork is necessary to ensure the whole project meets the target deadline and outcome. So, the front end development operation involves communication aspects between the parties represented. With that in mind, they can tackle any issues with effective solutions. 

• UI/UX designs

As mentioned earlier, a strong understanding of UI/UX designs is a must because this skill will determine whether the software products are attractive to users. Front-end programmers need to study what’s trending in software product designs. Afterwards, they need to formulate the concepts to make website content into simple points that the users can easily navigate. 

• SQL and NoSQL 

This one is not obligatory, but it will give you a competitive edge as a front-end developer. SQL and NoSQL are used to store digital data. Understanding these two will help manage data queries from the back-end and the front-end. Both of these data storage systems include various aspects, such as language, structure, and scalability.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The last one also serves as an extra point for front end development. As AI is rising, your skill in the field will put you ahead of other rivals. Study AI tools, like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, to catch up with the latest trends in the IT sector. Including this in your resume will showcase your eagerness to continue learning in front of future hiring managers.