The first impression potential customers have of your website or web application is determined by their interaction with its front end. If they’re met with a confusing interface or a clunky design, it’s unlikely they will recommend it to others or return for more information. That’s why it’s important for businesses to prioritize front end development to establish themselves as a trustworthy brand and give their visitors a positive experience with their site or app.

In a frontend sense, front-end development is the process of turning coded data into user-friendly interfaces. A front end developer uses web technologies like HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript to create these interfaces. The HTML and CSS components can be thought of as the building blocks of a website, while the JavaScript is the paint and decorations that make it look pretty.

Mastering the Art of User Interface: Best Practices for Frontend Design

Front-end developers also consider how the interface they’re creating will work across various browsers. For example, they’ll ensure that the website or application works well on Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

Unfortunately, a great divide has been brewing in the front-end developer space for several years. It’s been pulled towards a more engineering-focused field of work often requiring traditional computer science training and software development skills over UI experience. This has led to a “front-end renaissance” where the tools and resources available have improved, but it hasn’t necessarily changed the skills required for the job.