UI Developers emphasis on the way the functionality is displayed and the fine detail of how users interact with the interface.
UI Developers are expert at creating something which both looks good and function in a browser/device at the same time. They produce visual designs in Photoshop and then convert them into HTML code. This requires in-depth knowledge of how browser rendering engines behave to be able to implement a design for the web that renders correctly.
In this blog we are going to discuss some to of the skills which can help you to become a better UI Developer.
1. Project Planning
The first common mistake with most of the UI developers is that most of them don’t plan.
Good planning can help:
- saves a lot of time
- reduce stress when the deadline is approaching
- And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
- stay organised
- keep your head clear and focused on the task at hand
Beneficial tools for planning
- Workflowy
- Writemaps
- Trello
2. Be Curious
One of the most important attributes every UI developer should possess is to be curious and be updated about latest technologies.
New tools, plugins, techniques and languages are being released every now and then. It is very important that a developer stay open to all the new things and try to explore and understand them.
Beneficial resources for front-end development news
- CSS Weekly
- HTML5 Weekly
- JavaScript Weekly
- Responsive Design Weekly
- Sidebar.io
- Web Design Weekly
3. Avoid Using Bad Plugins
No UI developer wants to develop an application to get infected by bad code. Neither through a plugin’s security issues nor by other types of issues or overall poor code quality.
How do you determine what is a bad plugin or library?
By checking its popularity and rating, last release date, number of issues, the issue’s severity and how quickly they are solved.
Also, you can check the plugin’s code. Even if you are not experienced, you can tell a lot through author’s coding style.
Best resources to check plugins:
- GitHub
- WordPress Plugins Repository
4. Responsive Design
Creating a user interface that fits into different screen sizes is a must. These days, mobile devices and tablets come with a variety of screen sizes. Every UI developer should know how to optimize user interface that supports display in any orientation is also an important aspect of responsive design.
5. Don’t say YES for everything
Clients and bosses are always demanding, we all know that. But saying yes for everything can eventually go against you and you will end up working for less, being stressed out.
- Evaluate what are the project requirements and align that with your skills.
- Don’t be afraid to call out functionality or feature which is out of your skill set.
Highlighting these earlier in the project timeline will make the whole process from start to finish much smoother for everyone.
A great UI developer knows when not to give up, when to learn, how to discover problem areas and how to resolve technical issues. With the world of web development continuing to advance and grow, you need to work on points mentioned above to make your web application stand out from the crowd.
If you want to start from the basics then you can go for our web master or web master plus courses.
Do you have any tips which helped you in your development career? Leave a comment below or share the blog to help others become better UI developers.
