Every Monday we’d like you to meet someone new around here at JustBats.com. Get to know us a little better! Meet Nick! Nick is our UX Designer and makes sure that everything works when you visit JustBats.com! Here is what makes Nick tick.
1. How long have you worked here at JustBats.com?
I've worked at JustBats.com for about 8 months.
2. How long have you been a web developer?
Well I've been designing and building web site's since 2002, so roughly 10 years.
3. I hear you are pretty good at racquetball, how often do you play?
I don't know about that, but I try to play a few times a week. I've improved quite a bit since I first started playing 6 months ago, but I still have a long ways to go to get better.
4. Any tips for someone just starting to play racquetball?
Aim low & practice, practice, practice!
5. How do you know if someone has what it takes to become a web developer? What is it you look for?
That's a great question. I think it takes someone with good problem solving, patience, and communication skills because they are absolutely critical when working on a team. Being able to figure out what is (or isn't) working with everyone's code can be challenging and sometimes it just take's a little patience and time to figure out. If you're like me, and focus more on the presentation and functional aspect's of web development then it's also critical that you are also knowledgeable about design, composition, and layout. Having experience working with Photoshop & Illustrator (or any desktop publishing applications) are also going to be very helpful for any web developer.
6. So you're a big KU fan, give us the top three reasons KU is #1 in your book.
Yeah, I make it pretty clear that I'm a KU fan. I don't know if I have a top 3, but here goes.
1.) I grew up pretty close to KU, and have always loved watching them dominate the Big 12 (in basketball at least).
2.) Most of my family is actually K-State fans or graduates, so it makes for some interesting "discussions/jokes" at family get togethers.
3.) Although I did not attend KU, I have been on campus many time's and it's a beautiful place to take photo's and attend a basketball game.
7. What kind of stuff do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Free time? What is that?? Just kidding, I've got two wonderful children who keep me pretty busy building Lego's, drawing, playing with dolls, etc... Other than that, I enjoy watching & playing sports, outdoor activities (guns & 4-wheelers), and the occasional video game or two.
8. Web development can be exhausting work, what do you do to stay focused and on track?
Normally it's just a matter of throwing on the headphones, figuring out what exactly need's to be done and attacking it! If I need a short break, I'll check out a few web site's for inspiration or to keep up on trends in the industry.
9. What do you love about working at JustBats.com?
What's not to love about working here? All of the employees, leadership, free meals, workout facilities, comfortable atmosphere, and other benefits make this truly one of the most amazing places to work in Kansas City.
10. If you run into an issue when developing a website whether it be with code or anything else that might cause problems, what's your process for figuring out the issue?
Well considering that's open-ended and I deal with all sorts of problems I'll try to generalize... I would normally review the code that's in question and make sure I didn't make any mistakes. Once you isolate the problem, rewrite the code and try again! Google and StackOverflow can also be very useful when dealing with difficult errors or problems as well.
