Say hello to: Helena and Willem, our front-end Domain Leads and -developers. icapps wouldn't be icapps without its people. In this blog series, we put one of our amazing employees in the spotlight to talk about his or her job at icapps. Find out what their challenges are in their job, how they want to grow, and get to know them a bit too.
Are you wondering what a job as a front-end Domain Lead looks like? Helena and Willem are here to help and will tell you about it!
Firstly, can you introduce yourself? Who are you, and what is your role at icapps?
Willem: I have been working at icapps for about five years as a front-end developer, and now I'm the Domain Lead.
Helena: I work at icapps as a front-end Domain Lead and developer.
How did you end up at icapps?
Willem: I started working at icapps because I was looking for a new challenge, and I wanted to work at a larger company where I could use my knowledge and skills to help set the direction of web development.
Helena: A friend who used to work at icapps always spoke so positively about working here; at some point, I decided to check it out, and that's where it all began!
Together, you are the Domain Leads of front end; what tasks do you perform as Domain Leads? And how do you divide these responsibilities?
Willem: My main task is determining our strategic path for front-end web development at icapps. This includes client offerings, internal collaboration, knowledge sharing, and platform selection.
Helena: That is a perfect summary! We discuss who will take the lead whenever we take on a new project. For example, I am currently leading a new React template project, but we often brainstorm to evaluate our choices and move forward.
What was the reason you were interested in taking on the role of Domain Lead?
Helena: I've been doing development for quite a while, working on various internal and some consultancy-based projects. I was looking for an opportunity to share all the knowledge and experience I gained.
Willem: I agree; sharing the knowledge I've gained over the years is exciting. On top of that, I want to help shape the strategic path of client projects.
What aspects of a developer or Domain Lead would you like to improve?
Willem: There's always more to learn about innovation. I want to improve my skills in following trends, understanding the market, and recognizing when to utilize something. This requires practice, so I'm keen to gain more experience.
Helena: For me, it's about observing and balancing different trends.
Helena, what is the most memorable project you've worked on in the past years?
This has to be my latest project with amfori, a platform for sustainability reporting. It's a massive project with a large team. Designing a qualitative base for long-term use required a lot of technical analysis. It's performing well to this day, which I'm very proud of.
Willem, you've worked as a front-end developer for quite a while. How do you keep your work exciting?
Working on many different projects keeps it interesting for me. Every project has its unique characteristics, which make every experience different. Additionally, front-end development has evolved so much over the past ten years. A front-end developer's role has shifted from merely recreating a website's design to developing functional and interactive experiences; it's no longer just CSS and HTML.
What are some of each other's characteristics that you would like to have?
Willem: Helena is technically very strong. Whenever we review each other's codes, I often learn from her, and her comments on my code are always incredibly helpful.
Helena: Willem is good at setting priorities. He has a clear overview of what's important and needs to be taken care of immediately versus what can be done later. This is a skill that I benefit from.
What is your favorite app?
Willem: My favorite app is Chrome because everything should be a website.
Helena: Mine is TickTick, a productivity manager. I use it for both my private and professional life. It ensures I get timely reminders so I won't forget anything.
