The Changing Face of JavaScript Developer Profiles for the Mobile Web

Topics
Mobiquity
Author
Mobiquity
Publication Date
26 September 2016

The Changing Face of JavaScript Developer Profiles for the Mobile Web

Just like almost all aspects of software, JavaScript development is changing rapidly due to the heavy emphasis on digital transformation for all types of businesses across almost every industry. In turn, the skills and profiles of developers now range far and wide, so it’s important to find the right JavaScript developers for each part of your application. At Mobiquity, when we’re running through the process of selecting team members for our mobile web projects, we are often forced to decide what type of web developer to select and what skill sets the needed developer must have. We’ve come to learn that specialization is key, and, when utilized correctly, developers with expertise in specific areas of a field have an opportunity to drive the velocity and success of a project.

JavaScript Developer Profiles

We don't think of web development as a monolithic skill set encompassing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Instead, in order to ensure each client gets the most specialized team possible, we’ve designed 3 different development profiles each with a focused eye on the types of role and tasks the developer will have to fulfill. We pay close attention to the experience needed, while making sure we use a developer who, through expertise and specialization, has the opportunity to really influence the project.

1. The Presentation Developer

Our first developer profile hearkens back to the typical web development profile. This developer utilizes the latest trends in HTML and is specialized in CSS frameworks like Bootstrap. The developer uses JavaScript frameworks to provide reusable templates for a variety of front end situations. When developing forms for user entry, this developer keenly applies front-end validation libraries while knowing the right way to address usability concerns for form completion. This developer also has significant experience in JavaScript animation and visual state transitions, knowing the performance expectation on different devices.


Required Skills
  • HTML5
  • CSS architecture
  • Bootstrap
  • jQuery and jQueryUI
  • Templating frameworks like mustache.js or Handlebars.js
  • SASS or LESS
Desirable Skills
  • Validation libraries like Parsley
  • Toolset libraries like Underscore.js
 
2. The Data Architect Developer

For the Data Architect, the data model and what information is provided by server resources and in what format are all top considerations when developing with modern JavaScript frameworks. This profile works closely with the API development team to make sure that data is presented in a consumable way. The Data Architect understands that you can’t leave it to the API team to know how to deliver data and recognizes that an API that delivers a flat representation of data is not always what’s needed. This developer keeps in mind the data that will be needed by different devices and what API calls will be made by certain user interactions. The main focus of all of this is fleshing out the models necessary within the application.

Required Skills
  • Experience working with APIs
  • Experience architecting JSON or XML
  • Deep knowledge of REST and the Request/Response Model
  • Network debugging with developer tools in browsers or Charles Proxy
  • A robust JavaScript development framework like
    React, 
    Angular, Backbone, Ember
Desirable Skills
  • Toolset libraries like Underscore.js
  • Additional libraries depending on network communication needs
 
3. The Application Logic Developer

Although this profile may seem like an unnecessary profile amongst the Presentation and Data Architect, the Application Logic Developer actually plays a key role in maintaining application consistency and design pattern reproducibility. Very often we interview candidates who are perfect for this role because they don't focus on the presentation, only on the JavaScript architecture itself.

The Application Logic Developer architects the JavaScript application and plots out the controllers, models, and views necessary for its function. This developer keeps in line logic that drives the presentation while paying attention to what data will be necessary from the API. In addition, this developer assumes the role of making sure grunt build configurations are setup correctly, reducing the need for multiple developers to focus on this task.

Required Skills
  • Experience working in full-stack development or OOP
  • Deep understanding of JavaScript event bubbling
  • A robust JavaScript development framework like React, Angular, Backbone and Ember
  • jQuery
  • Grunt
  • Bower
  • NPM
Desirable Skills
  • Toolset libraries like Underscore.js
 
Final Thoughts

If your team is about to embark on conquering mobile web application development, or you're at the beginning stages of building a team for this purpose, it is key to understand how JavaScript has advanced and what types of specializations are out there today. It's not enough anymore to classify a role as a web developer or front-end developer. Modern web applications demand more, and if you want to achieve maximum velocity with a mobile web team, these profiles are an excellent place to begin.

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