Beyond The Code: Soft Skills Every Web Developer Needs

Website design and development skills have traditionally focused on technical skills and achieving project goals. However, as workplace priorities shift, and IT services become more consumer-centric, soft skills are now equally as important. According to a recent survey, 84% of businesses see these human-focused skills as critical for all staff.

For IT professionals, this means that technical skills are no longer enough in isolation. Instead, they need a mix of hard and soft skills to catch the eye of prospective employers, and web developers are no exception.

Tough Tasks, Soft Touch — Seven Skills for Success

In the world of web design and development, tough tasks are standard practice. From turning IT ideas into reality and ensuring apps and services are effectively secured, to designing solutions that are both immediately applicable and can meet future needs, difficult tasks drive tech success.

With the right set of soft skills, however, teams can prioritize the “people” parts of IT processes to help streamline design efforts and reduce development time. Here are the skills necessary for success:

1. Collaborative problem-solving

   For many IT professionals, problem-solving comes naturally. It’s part of the job — functions don’t always work as intended, and seemingly perfect code often creates unexpected interactions.

   Where this transitions from hard-skills to soft-skills is when staff outside IT get involved. For example, clients or end-users often observe and report application and service issues. Traditionally, this is where IT took over — non-tech users simply waited for a resolution.

   The use of personal mobile devices in the workforce, however, means that end-users have a vested interest in the outcome, and may have relevant knowledge to share with teams. This creates the need for collaborative problem-solving that sees developers and users working in tandem to find a solution.

2. Communication

   At first glance, this skill seems simple: after all, designers and developers typically work in teams and need to connect with clients to ensure efforts match expectations.

   That being said, communication in the evolving workplace environment is different. Instead of simply focusing on outcomes, it requires an understanding of how people perceive those outcomes. Consider developers who are working on application UI. Clients may have a host of ideas that simply aren’t practical but could inform the result.

   Historically, developers might have said something along the lines of “We know what we’re doing, let us handle it.” The problem? This leaves clients feeling frustrated and unheard. In a soft-skills scenario, IT teams need to acknowledge and appreciate client communications, even if their suggestions may not be practical.

3. Accountability

   Everyone makes mistakes — even design and development teams. In some cases, these mistakes are beyond their control; in others, they may occur as the result of accidental oversight.

   No matter the case, employers want the soft skill of accountability. In practice, this means taking ownership of mistakes and using them to make improvements going forward. Put simply, companies want team players. If IT staff were to pretend mistakes didn’t happen or deny responsibility, they could put business outcomes at risk.

4. Fostering relationships

   People aren’t processes. They’re often unpredictable and illogical, which can lead to conflict within development teams.

   Consider a team of four programmers, each with their own opinion about the best way to solve a problem. If each insists that their approach is the only “right” answer, the problem could take substantially longer to solve.

   As a result, companies now prioritize the hiring of IT professionals who work well with others, meaning they have the soft skills to speak respectfully, listen actively, and recognize the value of differing viewpoints.

5. Patience

   Patience is also an essential soft skill. This can be a challenge for developers and designers when it comes to training new staff or waiting for approval from C-suites or clients. While patience isn’t easy — especially when teams know what needs to be done and when it needs to happen — it’s a critical component in fostering and maintaining workplace relationships.

6. Emotional intelligence

   Emotionally intelligent staff can recognize the impact of their words on others and take action to reduce the risk of interpersonal conflicts.

   On the other hand, staff with lower emotional intelligence may rely on passive or aggressive communication styles — either delivering information with no interest in discussion or feedback or presenting data in a way that invites conflict.

   High emotional intelligence is now a priority for businesses that see IT as a whole-company effort.

7. Adaptability

   There’s also a growing need for adaptability in IT skill sets. This could mean adapting the way information is presented to suit the intended audience, or it could take the form of incorporating new technology into day-to-day processes.

   Both can be challenging for developers and designers as many see their interpretation of data as ideal and prefer to leverage familiar programs or processes. In an age driven by mobile devices and underpinned by cloud computing, adaptability is a critical soft skill for success.

Getting the Best of Both Worlds

Whether companies are looking to hire permanent staff or leverage IT staffing services, the priority remains the same: hard skills alone aren’t enough. While system expertise and coding ability remain in demand, they’re more valuable when combined with soft skills such as collaboration, communication, patience, and adaptability.

Put simply, the world of IT work is changing. Companies want the best of both worlds, meaning it’s worth the effort for developers and designers to make soft skills a part of their professional development plans.