1. Content Creation Process

    Reading time: 5 minutes
    Posted yesterday

    Ever since I started the process of writing a book I have had to work on streamlining the content creation part a bit! For articles on my personal website, I usually write and post when I have something the share. Usually these are simply articles conveying my thoughts or small tutorials focussing on a very specific topic. For the book Building Real-world Web Applications with Vue.js however, I have had discover a new process.

    It started with determining the outline of the book with all the topics we wanted to cover and address. That structure really helped in getting the scope for each chapter right as I've discovered. Scope creep is a real thing, when you want to teach and deliver well rounded projects!

  2. Great Migrations: Upgrading at scale

    Reading time: 8 minutes
    Posted 5 months ago

    This article is inspired by the BBC produces series on nature, with a particular episode dealing with the wildebeest migration. The series was presented by Sir David Attenborough, and I will try and channel his spirit in this article. I have fond memories of these sort of documentaries, watching them together with my father. Those were simpler times.

    I’ve used this theme and contents in talks that I gave with a similar title. Note this article details the approach that works best for us at Jumbo Supermarkten. It might not be the best in your situation, so treat its contents as inspirational.

  3. Importance of decompressing

    Reading time: 2 minutes
    Posted 5 months ago

    Taking time off from work is crucial for our overall well-being. It allows us to recharge, de-stress, and reset our minds. When you take a break from work, you give yourself the opportunity to focus on other aspects of your live, such as spending quality time with family and pursuing hobbies that we enjoy. This can help you feel more balanced, refreshed, and fulfilled.

    We work in a tech industry, and I find myself often times glued to a screen. During office hours, but also occasionally on evenings. I just got back from a 10 day break in Iceland. It was my second visit and the first with my kids. Being able to decompress is important. Being able to decompress in the environment that Iceland brings is next level. My Instagram feed is a testament to the rugged landscape.

  4. Reimagining our Design System

    Reading time: 6 minutes
    Posted 5 months ago

    I work at Jumbo Supermarkten in software engineering. At Jumbo we have a big tech department (affectionately called the Jumbo Tech Campus, or JTC) where we work on all of our digital products: from eCommerce and planning applications to AI driven models for stocking and inventory. I'm going to focus mostly on the eCommerce branch, since this is where we can make a big impact on our customer experience.

    For our tech stack: we have an eCommerce engine which is enriched by (micro) applications and components built in Vue.js and Nuxt.js. There are multiple teams working on fulfilling the eCommerce goals and in order to deliver user interfaces as effectively as possible, we've built a component library that (in general, but we'll get to that) follows the designs and design system.

  5. Career Development in Web Development

    Reading time: 4 minutes
    Posted 5 months ago

    I've been a web developer for over a decade (feel old yet?). Over my career I've gradually moved from an entry level junior at a web agency where I learned not to drop tables, jQuery (yes) and the woes of supporting ie6 even!

    Over the years I've grown in experience and have been focused more on becoming a well rounded frontend specialist, having adopted the Vue.js / Nuxt.js tech stack for the past four years and considered expert enough to been invited to speak at conferences and writing a book.

  6. Getting the first miles in

    Reading time: 3 minutes
    Posted 5 months ago

    I finished the draft of the third chapter today. After some proof reading of my own, it will be off to the editor for the first review. After writing a couple of chapters, it's a good time to do a bit of reflecting on the go.

    I really enjoy writing this sort of content. Having the structure of the entire book laid out beforehand also really helps in making sure that I focus on a specific topic at a time. Without, I think I would be tempted to start drifting off topic by elaborating on more niche or advanced techniques.

  7. Incremental a11y

    Reading time: 5 minutes
    Posted 6 months ago

    I work for a large grocery chain in the Netherlands. We do ecommerce on a national scale: facilitating the ordering and delivery of groceries in the Netherlands. With a large organisation, it any change is not without effort and extensive investment.

    During 2021, an investigation conducted by level-level.com signalled that they were only able to complete 55% of steps from their use case using keyboard and/or screen reader. This meant they were unable to place an order!

  8. Writing the Product Information

    Reading time: 1 minute
    Posted 6 months ago

    I've been working on another starter document, the Product Information piece. This is not necessarily part of the book itself, but is key to the success, since it holds the marketing texts and information.

    This is a bit of a different mindset, because this is about trying to condense the contents of the book (which doesn't exist yet) into enticing commercial texts of varied lengths!