1. The Role of a Program Committee Member: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

    Reading time: 4 minutes
    Posted 13 hours ago

    Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a tech conference? While attendees marvel at the seamless flow of talks and workshops, there's a dedicated team working tirelessly to curate the program. I have been part of the committee for both the JS Nation as well as JS Nation US conferences for close to a year now, time to spill the tea! 🫖

    Enter the Program Committee – the unsung heroes responsible for crafting the conference agenda and ensuring a memorable experience for all.

  2. Strategies to reduce complexity

    Reading time: 5 minutes
    Posted 27 days ago

    Software development is a craft and we can follow many routes to achieving a specific goal. Having this freedom allows us to create simple solutions for very complex problems. That same freedom has a flip side, where very complex solutions can be applied to very simple problems!

    To be clear: I don't think anybody purposefully sets out to create complex solutions to simple problems (unless part of an artistic discovery). I think it is a sign of lack of understanding of a certain domain or technology. I also think there are several strategies you can apply to reduce complexity!

  3. Go public!

    Reading time: 5 minutes
    Posted last month

    As developers most of the actual work is done behind the scenes (or screens). This is not just for backend development, but goes for frontend development just as well. Consider all the time, effort and planning that goes into executing a technical solution or building an interface. Aligning between multiple stakeholders or comparing technical solutions and routes before implementing, goes largely unnoticed.

    In most cases, what the end user sees, is just the tip of an iceberg! With "going public" I mean proudly exposing the underside of that iceberg. Not for the sake of the end user, but for your self. You should always consider contributing to your personal brand!

  4. 2023: Year in Review

    Reading time: 12 minutes
    Posted 3 months ago

    As the year draws to a close, it is an opportune time to contemplate the accomplishments of past years in order to gain a better perspective. Looking back on my achievements, I feel a sense of pride and gratitude for all that I have accomplished, with the help and support of those around me.

    This year, many things that were previously in progress seemed to fall into place, leading me to pursue a new career direction that focuses more on engaging people rather than code. This is a path that is better suited for me at this stage in my career.

  5. Winning at CFPS: How to stand out at tech conferences

    Reading time: 3 minutes
    Posted 3 months ago

    If you've ever been to a tech conference, you know the thrill of being part of a gathering where ideas flow faster than the coffee. Whether you're a seasoned conference-goer or a first-timer, the journey from submitting a Call for Paper (CFP) to standing on stage is a rollercoaster of excitement, nerves, and hopefully, success.

    So what's a CFP precisely?

  6. On Design System Maturity Models

    Reading time: 9 minutes
    Posted 6 months ago

    To provide a bit of context, I think it’s valuable to have a rough idea on where I’m currently working. I’m part of a large scale company with a reasonably sized tech department. The tech department consists of 400+ individuals and we favour to do a lot of developments in house if we can. Our main focus is e-commerce and the solutions within the supply chain (think about distribution, stock optimisation, delivery and whatnot).

    Since a couple of years, I’ve been invested in the component library we’ve built over the years and I gave talks on our organisational efforts surrounding the maintenance and developments. Within that capacity, I was able to share my story and chat with lots of peers from different types of organisations, but similar active topics. During those chats, the more people I talked to, the more I discovered patterns emerging. My attempts to structure these patterns have led to a model I came up with to capture Design System Maturity. Disclaimer: This is a work in progress and may be subject to change!

  7. Content Creation Process

    Reading time: 5 minutes
    Posted 6 months ago

    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!

  8. Great Migrations: Upgrading at scale

    Reading time: 8 minutes
    Posted 10 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.