Matrix Internet has been running a series of interviews with our web developer IÑAKI CASTELLET HERNÁNDEZ. This is the third and final part of our interview.
In previous instalments, we covered how Iñaki got into web development and how he started at Matrix Internet. The final part of our interview deals with Iñaki’s day-to-day work and the projects he has worked on during his time in Ireland.
Every now and then there are big changes that I’ve to adapt to and even small changes that can have a big impact. An obvious example would be an upgrade from HTML 4 to HTML 5. Is stuff like that. Even things like how you would create a website to be optimised for SEO. But the changes don’t occur day-to-day. Adapting to them and integrating them little by little as they occur is quite typical. Certainly, one thing I would say is that 90% of the time I don’t have a clue what I am doing. Like Nike, I just do it. I might not know how to fix something or how to implement or accommodate a new change, feature or upgrade. So I research it, try out a few things and learn how to fix it myself. Learning on the job is a big part of my role. I love to solve problems and that’s my job. Coding is thinking, you have to make the shit work. It’s not something automatic, you just have to make it work. So a lot of times I find I solve my problems in the shower. My work problems are…not my hygiene problems! I think “Ok, how can I fix this?” every morning and it comes to my brain and then I get to work, try it and most of the time a solution is found.
Yes. I use it to read. Twitter is my favourite. I use Facebook moderately. I have it open now and again but my preference would be Twitter. I also check Instagram daily but I only follow a few people. I don’t really upload pictures. I’ve had it for 3 years and I have around 30 pictures. The apps I use most are Gmail and Whatsapp, even though I know they are not social media.
It depends on the size of the website. If the website isn’t too big it’s easier to do it by yourself because you know your coding better than anyone. You know what you have done and you basically have a handle on things. Obviously for very big website teamwork is needed and that’s something which is very strong here at Matrix, but when you work yourself you don’t have version control problems.
If I am working on the same website with someone else we could be changing the same document at the same time. Tomas uploads some of his work, I upload mine; I overwrite his piece, and he overwrites mine. It’s not too common but it’s certainly a danger. So when you’re working on your own you don’t have those problems. Basically, you know everything inside out, you know how it works. If it is a big website normally you say “you do this and I’ll do this” so sometimes, for example, I would work on the front end and my colleague would take care of the backend. We make it happen.
We’ve just completed several big projects:
It’s funny because one day I could be working with Tara Slevin then I jump on GoCar, FIABCI, WoofAdvisor and so on. They’re all so different and you get to learn all about their respective industries.
I use Dreamweaver but I don’t find it that great. I use it because I’m used to it. One thing I can say is that there is a lot of development tools that help you to do the code but Dreamweaver doesn’t. You have to do everything on your own.
Firebug is a tool I like to use, it’s an extension for Firefox. It lets you inspect the code from the website. Font Face Ninja is another one I use. Its a chrome extension that I use because once you click on it, it tells you everything about all the fonts of the website. It tells you the size, style and all properties of the fonts on a website. I also use other tools in the Adobe creative suite.
I don’t have a certain process but I always have specific tabs open on my 3 screens including:
Arena Kitchens was the first website I did with a custom design. I coded it from custom without using a template and it was one I started on my own. I am proud of that one as it was my first. You always remember your first, as they say. It has grown old and a tiny bit outdated since I built it back in 2013 obviously it wasn’t my best job as I was still learning but it still looks great.
I am very proud of our own website too. Jeff (our Managing Director) always says to me that if I didn’t do that website, we would have never had a new website. I managed everything with the build of our website. I worked and liaised with the web designers, the UX designers etc and did the development myself to create something that Matrix could be proud of.
One of the latest websites that I have worked on is Learnframe, I love the design of the website it was really fun to build, and I am very proud of it.
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By Matrix Internet
By Jeff Sheridan
By Iñaki Castellet Hernández