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Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to be a developer? We sat down with Roboboogie Experience Engineer Jeremy Sell to give you an inside look into the development world and to see what makes him tick.
How do you describe what you do?
In Short: I help Roboboogie “make the internet better.” Really I do all sorts of different things every day. Sometimes I’m developing seamless and responsive front-end experiences using amazing designs from our super talented Strategic Designer, Lacie Webb and other times I’m setting up sub-domains. I also help create and run A/B and multivariate tests using Optimizely as well as tackle API builds, email, QA and whatever else is needed.
What is a skill set that you use every day, but never thought you would have to?
WordPress. It runs around 20% of the Web, but I had always resisted it in favor of custom built solutions. But when you begin working on blogs that span the globe, have multiple languages and many contributors, then you really see the power of the WP platform and plugins. I now look forward to creating child themes and allowing for different SEO solutions for every region.
How do you approach solving problems?
I usually try to fully understand the destination or the reason why we are building what we are building. If I can understand that, then there is usually a way to get there; even if it’s not in the most obvious way. I also draw graphs, step-by-step process diagrams, chat with teammates and take walks to chew on things.
What is your process for overcoming technological roadblocks?
I was tutored by a guy who helped write some of the early BASH shell scripting books and he always told to me to write the most simple code I could for any problem. Sometimes when I hit a roadblock I will back up and see where the process or my code has gotten over complicated and then try to simplify it as much as possible.
What emerging technologies are you currently most excited about?
I’m always excited about the impact A/B & Multivariate Testing are having on the user experience. Whether it’s creating more intuitive navigation or more interactive product experiences, it’s always best to test those creations against some type of baseline to see how users react. Integrating science and data into our creativity helps us to see how and why users choose particular experiences.
What is your advice to developers that are new to A/B test development?
If you’re using Optimizely then do yourself a favor and integrate the Tampermonkey extension and FunnelEnvy’s Optimizely Client into your workflow. Being able to quickly develop and test multiple variants of a test is extremely helpful.
Thank you Jeremy for letting us prod your brain! If you would like to learn more about Roboboogie, visit www.teamroboboogie.com.
Stay tuned for next month’s interview with another Roboboogie pro!
