The field of mobile and web development is growing rapidly, creating several opportunities for both freshers and experts. If you’re creative and like to solve problems, front-end development could be of interest. Like any other professional field, front-end developer also requires a skill set, which includes both technical and non-technical skills. In this article, we have collated a list of skills that are a must for any professional Front-end Developer.
1. HTML and CSS
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are the most basic elements of web coding that act as the core foundation of web development. They are full-fledged technologies helping developers in creating useful websites. Without the knowledge of HTML and CSS you can’t even add images to a web page. Whether you want to include animations or graphical design in your site, these languages allow you to accomplish the task with ease and are one of the biggest must-have skills for a Front-end Developer. In simple words, you can’t create a website design without HTML and CSS knowledge.
2. JavaScript
JavaScript lets you add a ton more functionality to your websites, and you can create a lot of basic web applications using nothing more than HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML and CSS are concerned with the style components of a web page. However, JavaScript comes under the category of a programming language that defines the function. i.e., when you are creating a web page, use HTML/CSS for the perfect look, and then use JS to coordinate the website features. HTML and CSS work for simple web pages that don’t include dynamic features. But for audio, video, chat, animations, scrolling, etc. we have to use JS. Sites like Pinterest use JavaScript heavily to make their user interface easy to use. It’s also the most popular programming language in the world, so it’s super-valuable to learn and a must-have skill for Front-end Developers.
3. CSS and Front-End Frameworks
CSS and front end frameworks do for CSS what JS Frameworks do for JavaScript; they give you a launchpad for faster coding. Since so much CSS starts with the same elements from project to project, a framework that defines all of these for you upfront is super valuable. Most Front-end Developer job listings expect you to be familiar with how these frameworks work and how to use them.
4. RESTful Services and APIs
REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It’s a lightweight architecture that simplifies network communication on the web. RESTful services and APIs are those web services that adhere to REST architecture. Let’s say you want to write a code for an app that shows you all your social media friends in the order you became friends. You could call Facebook’s RESTful API to read your friend’s list and return that data. The same thing with Twitter. The general process is the same for any service that uses RESTful APIs; just the data returned will be different. It may sound too technical and complicated, but it’s a simple set of guidelines and practices that set expectations, so you know how to communicate with a web service. They also better the performance of a web service.
5. Responsive And Mobile Designs
Responsive design means that the site’s layout change based on the screen size and device someone is using. It is a known fact that today more people access the internet from their mobile phones than from desktops. So it’s no brainer that mobile design and responsive skills are super important to employers.
People will visit websites using different platforms. Surfing only through the laptop and PC is not practical. Creating separate user interfaces is hectic, and responsive design is the best solution. Receiving the same format of the website in different devices helps users in finding the desired options easily. Expertise in responsive design is essential, and it doesn’t require additional efforts since it includes the fundamental part of CSS and an introduction to Bootstrap.
6. Testing And Debugging
Coding without mistakes is impractical. That said, a site without errors is essentially critical, whether it is a local business site or an international business site. The possible solution is the debugging phase after doing the proper testing. It can be performed in different ways, like unit testing or functional testing. In Unit Testing, we look for every single code and error, while in Functional Testing, we focus on the functionality of the website, which is the primary concern.
Various tools, and programs like Selenium, Mocha, Jasmine, etc., can complete the testing tasks following simple steps. A Front-end Developer must accept the fact that ‘bugs happen.’ Therefore, being familiar with testing and debugging processes is vital.
Read more about various testing tools here
7. Browser Developer Tools
The ultimate product will be reaching the users through web browsers, and its compatibility with the browser describes the quality of the website. It is critical to the success of any site. Every browser is now available with the browser developer tool that allows the developer to tune the pages by setting in the same browser.
The tools give permission to watch how the runtime HTML will look like and the way CSS gets applied to the web page. You can also edit these components that will help you to see the changes live. The JS Console helps you to find errors in the code when it runs in the browser. Variations can be observed in these tools, depending on the browsers.
8. Problem-Solving Skills
If there’s one thing that all front end developers have to have, regardless of the job description or official title, it’s excellent problem-solving skills. As a Front-end Developer, you will work with the whole team. Hence, problem-solving skills are necessary. You will need to figure out how to best implement a design, fix bugs, figure out how to make your front end code work with the backend code being implemented, and many other things. In short, development is all about creative problem-solving.
9. Good Communication
It may not be on top of the required skills list, but as a Front-end Developer, you need to be good at communicating. First of all, the work between UI/UX designers, front-end and backend, has to go smoothly to finish a project. Of course, in agile software houses, you also get a project manager which helps with the information flow and a SCRUM master to help with the process. Still, without basic interpersonal skills, it won’t be that easy to work with others. Effective communication is necessary when you work with other people. It is essential to clearly state and communicates what you have in mind – both verbally and in writing.
10. Creativity
Last but certainly not least, you need to be highly creative. Building the page structures, keeping the design up-to-date, developing responsive and pleasant user experiences requires a lot of creativity and constant learning. Trends and technologies are changing; it is crucial for a developer to keep up with the latest news and not go down on the learning curve.
There are other essential skills, but the ones mentioned above are highly critical. Are you a Front-end Developer, or aspiring to be one? How do you gauge yourself based on these skill sets? Do let us know in the comments section. And, for discussing your design and development requirements, speak to our team now!
