How did you get into web development?

Back when the first graphical web browser was released in 1993 I wanted to find out how to create web pages. At the time I was studying both computer science and graphic design, and the Web seemed like a good way of combining those two areas. When I left school in 1994 I got a job as a multimedia producer, which soon enough turned into web design and development.

You're specializing in web standards, accessibility, and usability. Would you list these three areas of specialization for you starting from that of the most importance to you? Explain your choice.

Wow, this is very hard. Basically the three are equally important, but if I really must rank them it would be in this order:

1. Web standards

2. Accessibility

3. Usability

My reasoning is that without web standards, interoperability and universality become much more difficult to achieve. Being able to use any browsing device to access the web is key to enabling the largest possible number of people to use the web.

Once all devices are covered, you need to make sure that everybody will be able to access the information you put on the web, regardless of any disabilities they might have. That?s where accessibility comes in.

And finally, in order to actually be able to use the web easily, of course all sites should be usable as well.

Again, this is really a question that I think can't be answered because neither web standards, accessibility, or usability can be disregarded or valued below the others.

Do you think web standards are boring? Why/why not?

Most definitely not. In the early 2000?s I was getting pretty bored with the web. I was sick of browser wars and crappy browsers, and I hated the way many developers were actively shutting everybody who didn't use Internet Explorer for Windows out of the web. But when people started talking about using web standards I regained my interest.

No one talked about Internet Explorer development much until recently when Microsoft released Acid2 Test in IE8. Do you think it is a step towards the ending of browser wars? How important is it to the future of web design/development?

I think it?s hopeful that IE 8 will pass the Acid2 test, but unless Microsoft really deliver this time I'll be even more disappointed than I was with IE 7.

As long as Microsoft continues to have the market share they do, any updates to IE will be very important to web development. Anything they can do to get rid of the broken standards support in current versions of IE and get the new version out to end users would be great news.

The WWW has recently lost web browser previously known as Netscape. Ian Lloyd in his post Farewell Netscape says ?We may not necessarily notice you've gone? but you weren't all bad? What are your feelings? Do you think Netscape will be missed?

Until 2000 or 2001 Netscape was my main browser, so I will miss it. But with the latest versions basically being a skinned Firefox I don?t think it will mean much, if anything, for web developers.

What browser are you using? What are the three top things you like about it?

My main browser is Safari. I like it because it's got great standards support, it?s very fast, and it just works best for me.

What one thing would you like to see gone from the Web in 2008? Why?

Gratuitous use of Flash and Ajax, because it makes the web harder to use for many people. Both Flash and Ajax can be used well, but it?s extremely rare to see examples of such use.

Would you look around? What are things that surround you at the moment? Which of them you can?t imagine your day without? Why?

My Macs would be very hard to get by without. In fact, if one day I found that I wasn't allowed to use a Mac to get my job done, I'd probably change careers and become a carpenter.

What are the rules of thumb you?re building your work on?

Keep it simple, make it work everywhere and for everyone. All of those aren't always one hundred percent achievable, but as rules of thumb I find them very useful.

What/who inspires you the most?

Work-wise I think currently it?s the people who work hard to promote the use of unobtrusive and modern JavaScript.

Outside of that it's my family, music, nature, and good coffee.

What web design/development blogs/magazines/websites do you read on regular basis?

What advice would you give to beginning web designers/developers?

Do your best to understand the web. Don?t spend all your time and energy on trying to make it something it isn't. Understand that using web standards will help you, not constrain you. And never stop learning.

Helen Walker

Helen Walker graduated with a degree in Mass Communications and Sociology. She worked as a newspaper journalist for two years after that. Having always been interested in cyberculture and its impact on society, Helen switched to online journalism and joined Design Interviews blog in July, 2007. Ever since she's been interviewing web designers and administrating the blog. Helen is a keen movie-goer and she is also a panda lover.


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Get in touch with Helen: helen.walker4@gmail.com