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>a UI/UX engineer who can develop large-scale apps with an eye towards security, performance, reusability, and maintainability. I've never head this referred t

by learc83 11y ago

>a UI/UX engineer who can develop large-scale apps with an eye towards security, performance, reusability, and maintainability. I've never head this referred to as a UI/UX engineer. You seem to have just described a web developer. If you're developing "large-scale apps" then you're definitely doing more than UI/UX, so why call it UI/UX engineering?

joshuacc 11y ago
At my company we call this role "UI Development." A UI developer is expected to be good at all aspects of development that are required to implement the user interface, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and server-side templating languages. The JavaScript skills in question include the ability to write clean code, write unit tests and use client-side frameworks like Angular or React. Having an eye for design and usability is a plus, but not the focus.
- dclowd9901 11y ago
  Don't forget front end build pipelines and some server code to implement or retool APIs. Front end engineers need to know just about everything all the way back to the db
- EC1 11y ago
  Actually you just described a front-end developer, which I guess you call "UI Development". Which is really a scam by companies to overwork one individual with two jobs. UI and actual development should remain separate as there is a seriously massive workload for each. These "full stack" roles only make sense extremely early on in the company or on a greenfield project, anything where iteration and field testing take priority by virtue of simplicity as a result of time.
derefr 11y ago
Think of it like this. Something like Gmail.com is really two things: 1. a frontend, which is a Single Page App, shipped as a blob of JS; 2. a backend, which is a big fat set of services in random languages. The people who create the frontend are traditionally thought of as web developers, but "UI/UX engineer" is perhaps closer: they're engineering a program, yes, but it's ultimately a program entirely to serve the purpose of being a nice UI/UX in front of an API. I think the most on-target name for this role would probably be "client-app developer." The client happens to be web-based, but that doesn't much matter. It's still a client that consumes your service.
- learc83 11y ago
  Traditionally web developer is a more broad term that covers front and back end work. I agree that there is nothing wrong with evolving the term "front end developer" into "UI/UX engineer". My problem is that the OP is talking about replacing "web developer" with "UI/UX" engineer. Web developer traditionaly includes backend engineers who aren't only working on UI.
  - jameshart 11y ago
    And back in the last century, 'webmaster' was the term that encompassed front end, back end, and web server administration work. Terms move rapidly in the web world, and as complexity grows, people become more specialized and less aware of details in other parts of the stack.
    - learc83 11y ago
      All of what you said is true, yet none of it has anything to do with what I wrote. If we replaced the term webmasters with Content Engineers, and started calling designers/developers/server admins Content Engineers, you'd have a point. Web developer is a broad term. UI/UX Engineer is a specific term. Yes many people specialize in frontend or backend, but both of them are still web developers. Calling both of them UI/UX Engineers is dumb.
  - cjcenizal 11y ago
    I don't think "web developer" has been replaced by "UI/UX engineer". I would still draw the same distinction between the two that you're drawing. But I think demand for "front end developer" has lessened and demand for "UI/UX engineer" has increased.
stevepaulo 11y ago
Google calls us this. Last year the position of "Web Developer" was renamed to "UX Engineer".
- highstep 11y ago
  Does anyone else feel uncomfortable with calling themselves an engineer without going to school to become a true engineer?
  - _ao789 11y ago
    I completely agree. Its like someone carrying a board up a flight of stairs and calling themselves an engineer. Did you get an typical engineering degree for it? Exactly!
    - ddebernardy 11y ago
      Meh, in France some companies call cleaning ladies "surface engineers" so we're vaccinated. Sign of the times. :-)
      - _ao789 11y ago
        I rest my case
      - batmansmk 11y ago
        It is untrue, they are called "surface technicians". In France engineer is a regulated title like MD or PHD here in USA.
      - wott 11y ago
        You meant "surface technician", did you not?
    - highstep 11y ago
      I wasn't trying to dimension the challenge and skills needed to be a developer. I'm more so questioning the use a label which traditionally has a certification process attached to it.
baddox 11y ago
Well a web app is a user interface. Obviously there are backend components to most web apps, but any of the client-side work can still reasonably be referred to as UI work. You just need to specify between UI designer and UI engineer.
- learc83 11y ago
  Yeah and using UI Engineer as an alias for frontend developer is fine. But the term "web developer" is a more broad term that covers front and back end work, so I think it's a bit weird to start referring to all web developers as UI engineers.
gnarbarian 11y ago
I agree. That's a front-end programmer. A modern UI/UX designer's realm extends to HTML and CSS. The more JS they know the better but is not necessary.

by learc83 11y ago

joshuacc 11y ago

At my company we call this role "UI Development." A UI developer is expected to be good at all aspects of development that are required to implement the user interface, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and server-side templating languages. The JavaScript skills in question include the ability to write clean code, write unit tests and use client-side frameworks like Angular or React. Having an eye for design and usability is a plus, but not the focus.

dclowd9901 11y ago
Don't forget front end build pipelines and some server code to implement or retool APIs. Front end engineers need to know just about everything all the way back to the db
EC1 11y ago
Actually you just described a front-end developer, which I guess you call "UI Development". Which is really a scam by companies to overwork one individual with two jobs. UI and actual development should remain separate as there is a seriously massive workload for each. These "full stack" roles only make sense extremely early on in the company or on a greenfield project, anything where iteration and field testing take priority by virtue of simplicity as a result of time.

derefr 11y ago

Think of it like this. Something like Gmail.com is really two things: 1. a frontend, which is a Single Page App, shipped as a blob of JS; 2. a backend, which is a big fat set of services in random languages. The people who create the frontend are traditionally thought of as web developers, but "UI/UX engineer" is perhaps closer: they're engineering a program, yes, but it's ultimately a program entirely to serve the purpose of being a nice UI/UX in front of an API. I think the most on-target name for this role would probably be "client-app developer." The client happens to be web-based, but that doesn't much matter. It's still a client that consumes your service.

learc83 11y ago
Traditionally web developer is a more broad term that covers front and back end work. I agree that there is nothing wrong with evolving the term "front end developer" into "UI/UX engineer". My problem is that the OP is talking about replacing "web developer" with "UI/UX" engineer. Web developer traditionaly includes backend engineers who aren't only working on UI.
- jameshart 11y ago
  And back in the last century, 'webmaster' was the term that encompassed front end, back end, and web server administration work. Terms move rapidly in the web world, and as complexity grows, people become more specialized and less aware of details in other parts of the stack.
  - learc83 11y ago
    All of what you said is true, yet none of it has anything to do with what I wrote. If we replaced the term webmasters with Content Engineers, and started calling designers/developers/server admins Content Engineers, you'd have a point. Web developer is a broad term. UI/UX Engineer is a specific term. Yes many people specialize in frontend or backend, but both of them are still web developers. Calling both of them UI/UX Engineers is dumb.
- cjcenizal 11y ago
  I don't think "web developer" has been replaced by "UI/UX engineer". I would still draw the same distinction between the two that you're drawing. But I think demand for "front end developer" has lessened and demand for "UI/UX engineer" has increased.

stevepaulo 11y ago

Google calls us this. Last year the position of "Web Developer" was renamed to "UX Engineer".

highstep 11y ago
Does anyone else feel uncomfortable with calling themselves an engineer without going to school to become a true engineer?
- _ao789 11y ago
  I completely agree. Its like someone carrying a board up a flight of stairs and calling themselves an engineer. Did you get an typical engineering degree for it? Exactly!
  - ddebernardy 11y ago
    Meh, in France some companies call cleaning ladies "surface engineers" so we're vaccinated. Sign of the times. :-)
    - _ao789 11y ago
      I rest my case
    - batmansmk 11y ago
      It is untrue, they are called "surface technicians". In France engineer is a regulated title like MD or PHD here in USA.
    - wott 11y ago
      You meant "surface technician", did you not?
  - highstep 11y ago
    I wasn't trying to dimension the challenge and skills needed to be a developer. I'm more so questioning the use a label which traditionally has a certification process attached to it.

baddox 11y ago

Well a web app is a user interface. Obviously there are backend components to most web apps, but any of the client-side work can still reasonably be referred to as UI work. You just need to specify between UI designer and UI engineer.

learc83 11y ago
Yeah and using UI Engineer as an alias for frontend developer is fine. But the term "web developer" is a more broad term that covers front and back end work, so I think it's a bit weird to start referring to all web developers as UI engineers.

gnarbarian 11y ago

I agree. That's a front-end programmer. A modern UI/UX designer's realm extends to HTML and CSS. The more JS they know the better but is not necessary.