About Ian Lunn

I am a Front-end Developer with 12 years commercial experience, author of CSS3 Foundations, and graduate of Internet Technology. I create successful websites that are fast, easy to use, and built with best practices.

I work to make a better web; one that is fast, easy to use, beautiful, accessible to all, and frustration-free. Regardless of your specific business requirements, in solving these challenges, you have a great chance of finding success online.

My main experience is in front-end development but I also have a passion for design. Given that producing a modern website requires the combination of design, server technology, and the layer that users interacts with, I believe having experience in both design and development allows for making the most optimal user experiences.

My clients have found that hiring me has saved them time and money, made it easier to grow their website alongside their business, and made for a product that is consistently of high quality.

Working with Ian was better than expected and we had really high expectations. He is an incredibly talented developer but what really makes him stand out is his work ethic and steady approach. Time after time, and without us asking, he added enhancements and improvements that resulted in a better end product for us and our clients.

I take great pride in not only being able to complete work to the high standard you expect but also go the extra mile wherever possible. I enjoy getting to know a business, its goals, and how I can best apply myself to make sure your website succeeds. For established clients, I particularly like analysing their metrics and making data-based decisions and recommendations, leading to better rates of success.

I can quickly and efficiently join your team using continuous-integration methods and tools such as Git and Agile.

Front-end Developer

I use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to produce responsive websites and web apps that provide users the best and most appropriate experience suited to their device and browser.

I write standards based code that is semantic, accessible, search-engine friendly, easy to maintain, cross browser compatible, and performant.

Building a future-proof and easy-to-maintain website is achieved by breaking down a web page into its smallest pieces, often called components, and building them in a way that exists outside the context of the design they first appear in. This allows for components that can be re-used in other areas of a website as it grows and makes the intention easier for other developers to understand and test. Wherever possible, I find it valuable to create a style guide (using Storybook for example) that acts as a document for a reusable and maintainable code base. All involved in a project can rely on a style guide to understand a project’s language and produce a more consistent user experience. Re-usable components make for a website that can quickly grow as does your business.

I am also experienced in building systems that implement business logic and interact with server-side technology via APIs and tools such as React and Redux, as well as testing code using tools such as Jasmine.

I have a special interest in use of animation on the web. I particularly like working on websites that have seamless transitions and require high-level performance to maintain a smooth and appealing website.

We have been developing websites since 1994. When advancements in web technology passed our skill levels we hired various developers, but there was always a certain amount of monitoring and adjustment required to achieve the proper result. Working with Ian has been a refreshing change. Ian is an authority on web development and is clearly in the upper percentile in terms of developer qualifications. Ian's invaluable suggestions and improvements helped create a stable, cross platform site.

Design & Prototyping

I believe it is important to understand both design and development to achieve a successful user-facing product. By involving a front-end developer at the design & prototyping phase, technical challenges can be solved early, producing a more cohesive product in the most time efficient manner.

I am also a keen advocate of producing prototypes before fully coding. These prototypes are a hybrid of design and interaction that enable a team to experience how a user interface will feel before it is coded. This gives an opportunity for all involved to provide feedback at an early stage and be a part of the iteration process.

WordPress Developer

In many projects, my clients require the ability to manage the content of their website. WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system which I have many years of experience with. My focus when using WordPress is on ease of use and maintainability; making sure you can manage your content as simply and quickly as possible.

Philosophy

Web technology is vast and only getting bigger. There are a huge number of tools available and endless methods for using them, without there always being a clear and concise "go-to" approach.

Some developers may:

• Put their needs and desires before the purpose of the project which can lead to slow websites and a poor return on investment for your business
• List the latest cutting edge tools as part of their skills but not have a solid understanding of foundational skills

I believe in:

• Putting the user first. Users that have a good experience are more likely to complete the actions that lead to your business goals being met
• Maintain a deep understanding of foundational technology and rely on tools and frameworks where they will best serve your requirements -- not treat them as the be-all and end-all

After understanding your requirements, I can use my years of experience to determine the right tools and development methods for you. Often the simplest approach is the most successful.

The sustainability of the web development is important to me too. By ensuring we work in ways that are most efficient, we can reduce the footprint of what we produce on the web. This in many cases has a benefit to the user because if a website is efficient, it benefits from good performance and a quick user experience.

Not only was Ian’s work on-time and to spec, he pays attention to improve the aesthetics of the site as well as the functionality. Throughout the entire process he is responsive, and willing to work through issues as they arise. It’s obvious he takes tremendous pride in his work, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend or work with him again.

Get Started

If you’d like to find out more about how I work and my process of working with clients, please get in touch and give a little information about the project you have in mind. I’ll send a Getting Started guide that answers many of the common questions I receive from potential clients. We can then set up a call to discuss how I can be of most value to your project.

I endeavour to respond to all enquiries within 1 working day. I look forward to learning about your project.