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I’ve worked at SaaS companies that invested in ui/ux and one of the common reasons we’d win deals is our app looked “nicer” than our competitors. However, I do

I’ve worked at SaaS companies that invested in ui/ux and one of the common reasons we’d win deals is our app looked “nicer” than our competitors. However, I do believe you can build a lasting saas business with a strong backend / weak frontend, but can’t do it with a weak backend / strong frontend.

bdcravens 4y ago
Appearance is definitely important. Of course, you can generally have the same design whether the site is server-rendered or client-rendered, with the difference being interactivity more than visual appeal. Additionally, you can get very far with over-the-wire approaches like LiveView/Hotwire.
- js-enjoyer 4y ago
  I work mostly on frontend and even I agree that you often "need" a good backend more than you need a good frontend. That doesn't mean it isn't valuable, see GP. I'm actually impressed and surprised by how many frontend jobs DevQuarterly sees (https://devquarterly.com/insights/trends/ https://devquarterly.com/insights/trends/). Big tech companies typically have many more backend developers than frontend developers. It depends on how many of those fullstack jobs are frontend heavy, but from what I've seen these job postings from smaller companies are often looking for frontend developers with some basic backend and cloud skills to build a product 0 to 1. Backend at that scale can be quite simple and is not out of the wheelhouse of a frontend developer that can actually code. Doesn't look like many people have bought into Hotwire with Rails ;) The "component and compilation circus" is pretty easy these days and improves the potential for your site. People see the billion dollar SaaS companies with fancy websites built on React and follow them.
  - bdcravens 4y ago
    I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said. The original point is that when companies have to spend their money more judiciously, front end is low-hanging fruit. (especially when there are alternatives to accomplish the same business objectives)

bdcravens 4y ago

Appearance is definitely important. Of course, you can generally have the same design whether the site is server-rendered or client-rendered, with the difference being interactivity more than visual appeal. Additionally, you can get very far with over-the-wire approaches like LiveView/Hotwire.

js-enjoyer 4y ago
I work mostly on frontend and even I agree that you often "need" a good backend more than you need a good frontend. That doesn't mean it isn't valuable, see GP. I'm actually impressed and surprised by how many frontend jobs DevQuarterly sees (https://devquarterly.com/insights/trends/ https://devquarterly.com/insights/trends/). Big tech companies typically have many more backend developers than frontend developers. It depends on how many of those fullstack jobs are frontend heavy, but from what I've seen these job postings from smaller companies are often looking for frontend developers with some basic backend and cloud skills to build a product 0 to 1. Backend at that scale can be quite simple and is not out of the wheelhouse of a frontend developer that can actually code. Doesn't look like many people have bought into Hotwire with Rails ;) The "component and compilation circus" is pretty easy these days and improves the potential for your site. People see the billion dollar SaaS companies with fancy websites built on React and follow them.
- bdcravens 4y ago
  I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said. The original point is that when companies have to spend their money more judiciously, front end is low-hanging fruit. (especially when there are alternatives to accomplish the same business objectives)