a winnipeg website design company.
a winnipeg website design company.
Recently, as I was reading some older articles on good programming characteristics, I got to thinking specifically about web developers. The role of a web developer is critical for any website project or application, so I turned my questions to Twitter to get some input. The responses I got were overwhelming and filled with different opinions and advice. I saw this as a great opportunity to discuss what the development community thinks makes a great web developer. Let’s take a look at the findings!
It seems like everyone had a different thought or view on what makes a great web developer. I specifically kept this question very open and general, as I wanted to see what main traits or characteristics others focused on. Let’s look at some of the Twitter replies from other developers.
If I missed anyone who replied to me on Twitter, I apologize, I got so many replies it was hard to keep track of everything over the days of questioning.
A good web developer needs restraint. Functional simplicity is harder than most folks think.
Tweet by 3Polars
he knows things, mac user, provide documentation, drink coffee, play wii, have an ipone, like to dance
Tweet by Kailoon
I think its the drive to be creative in code; be it the viewable design or the code used
– don’t forget the drive to learn.
Tweet by KayRoseDesign
A great developer is one that listens to his/her users.
Tweet by iEthan
Ease of updates, usage, and installation for projects they complete. As for personality: mainly patients.
Tweet by Vasilly60
more thoughts. An extremly valuable trait is to NOT love your code above all else. You have to be aware of your flaws.
Tweet by ViktorEdholm
Communication skills with a client is an absolute must – and also one of the hardest things there is
Tweet by MarcoFolio
Sound knowledge of HTML and CSS. Programmer at heart, but can design a bit.JS is not really necessary,but a nice skill to have
Tweet by GayaDesign
The desire to see a final build be better than the design.
Tweet by EvanWarner
The ability to not only know the code, but what method to develop.
Tweet by Rokoh
The number one quality of a great developer is to be a great listener.
Tweet by RogerPence
the ability to step back and be a user
Tweet by GnomeOnTheRun
Attention to detail. E.g. If I send a list of 14 changes, the designer then takes ownership of every item until done
Tweet by PeteSavage
this thing is practice (imho)
Tweet by NickPlekhanov
I think there are quite a few important things we can take away from everyone’s thought and opinions. The first thing we learn is that, obviously, there is no one quick answer. There is no cure all, no instant formula for becoming a great web developer, no one trick is going to do everything. We have learned that it is a mix of these traits, skills, and characteristics that we all can possess and use to make ourselves even more successful. Take little pieces away from the advice that sticks out to you and apply it to your career.
In my opinion, to answer my own question and only give one answer, that answer would be passion. A true passion and spark for web development. I’m sure this could be applied to many occupations, but I’d rather work with an extremely passionate, less experienced developer, over an experienced developer just developing so he/she has a job.
So what makes a web developer a great developer in your opinion? Is it a personality trait? Is it a certain skill one learns? Share your opinions in the comments below, I’d love to hear them!
Nic Rosental Says:Very good answers, and I really like the closing thought, passion is key.
Mr. HAW / Andreas Wettainen Says:A great developer? Somebody who are using MODx! ; ) http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,42815.msg257462.html#msg257462
Viktor Edholm Says:I think I might accually agree more with you than what I wrote! Passion most likely what’ll make a developer succeed, rather than being able to manage time, focus, listen, refine code or what ever.
KayRoseDesign Says:December 9th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Great article drew, glad to see my suggestion was helpful
But i also think there are so many other attributes aswell, developers FTW!, (even though i design aswell).
mysticpixels Says:December 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am
The unending passion to the technology, and the belief in the techniques. U cant be a complete dev, when u dont believe in the credibility of the techniques tat u use. Its synonymous to the self-confidence of your own skills !
Vasili Says:December 9th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I love the tweet by Rokoh. You can’t just know what to write to do something, you need to know why it does it. If you can do this then you will be able to do more complex things.
Thanks for adding in my tweet!
Marco Says:December 9th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Wow – that was a great read! Very interesting question and very interesting results . Great!
Gaya Says:December 9th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Passion is what keeps you eager to learn, so yeah, that has to be one of the most important things to keep in mind.
That doesn’t make you a good developer, but with skills combined, it is a killer!
Good and interesting article, Drew. Keep it up.
Adam Says:December 10th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Well this was a pretty unique idea. Love it.
Amber Weinberg Says:December 11th, 2009 at 11:48 am
One who cares about semantics, validation and learning new techniques.
Blogger Den Says:December 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Great web developers have to be smart, cunning, and know how to program in at least a few languages… JavaScript and PHP for me!
arnold Says:December 12th, 2009 at 6:59 am
like to dance? lol ,
rodman Says:December 16th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
wow this is such a useful tips, thanks for sharing on your blog! I know good tutorials aren’t easy to come by these days, but following this was so easy and it’ll be useful on my website
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