Nooshu.com is a blog written by me, Matt Hobbs. I’m a Web Developer based in Oxfordshire, UK. I specialise in Frontend web production which involves usability, cross-browser testing, accessibility and search engine optimisation among many (many!) other things.
I am very passionate about the way a user sees the internet. It forms the basis of my blog, findings and research. I have many years experience building User Interfaces for a wide range of clients and their varying needs.
Although I don’t specialise in server-side code directly, I find the technology extremely engaging. I have integrated code into many different frameworks & languages: WordPress, MODx, Symfony, Smarty, ASP, PHP, .NET, Java to name a few.
A true geek at heart, I enjoy reading (non-fiction), classical music, photography, mathematics, physics, history and learning to play the violin.
Most recent work experience
Head of Frontend Development, Lead Developer - Government Digital Service (London)
August 2017 - Present
- Mentor junior technologists in best practices across a range of expertise.
- Encourage positive and constructive communication both within the team and when communicating with other GDS teams.
- Ensure the team has right processes in place to deliver quality solutions and are able to address problems at source.
- Work with Technical Architects, Product Managers and Senior Management to identify and address technical, cultural and delivery issues.
- Facilitate daily stand-ups, team meetings, sizing and planning meetings, and incident retrospectives.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with other development teams within GDS and across government.
Lead Interface Developer - DigitasLBi (London)
September 2013 - August 2017
- Lead, line and performance manage the Frontend team within the portfolio, ensuring skills within the team remain current and relevant to client needs, and fostering a culture that rewards results, learning and delivering client value.
- Ensure development approaches remain contemporary and aligned with the broader development community.
- Establish and maintain conventions and standards for internal and client reference.
- Perform the Frontend lead role on individual projects, and provide an oversight role on projects where not providing direct leadership.
- Contribute to project statements of work from a Frontend perspective.
- Contribute to achievable technical project plans, and deliver and protect estimates. Highlight technical issues and risks on an ongoing basis.
- Work with technical and non-technical teams at all levels, from strategy and design, through to development, testing and application support.
- Represent work and capabilities to clients, and participate in a supporting role as a technology domain expert in client pitch situations.
Frontend Team Lead - Isobar (Sydney)
June 2012 - July 2013
- Coding for both long and short term projects using responsive, reusable CSS and HTML templated code.
- Project scoping, planning, quotes and resourcing.
- Researching new technologies and how they can be utilised to improve in-house processes.
- Promoting quality across Frontend team deliverables.
- Evaluating and recruiting developers to expand the team.
- Leading a team of developers, helping them progress and learn with regular team code reviews.
- Striving to improve in-house Frontend processes to achieve seamless work-flow and team integration.
- Client-facing technical consultation including offshore project liaison.
- Providing feedback to project management, internal creative, UX and the client regarding user experience best practices and accessibility guidelines.
- Experienced in managing multiple projects running concurrently.
For more information around my work experience and skillset see my LinkedIn profile.