Interview With Matt Luscombe – Web Developer
How did you get into web development?
When I was a young teenager at the turn of the century, I fiddled around with building small web pages, in so far as to create fan sites for whatever computer games I was playing at the time.
What programs do you rely on most heavily?
My workflow consists of a variety of beautifully designed Mac OS X software: The Hit List, Textmate, CSSEdit, Safari, Billings etc. Photoshop is in there, but it’s just not very well designed!
As a freelancer, how do you advertise your services?
I currently receive leads from word of mouth, which is negating the need for advertising at this point.
Are you a fan of any particular industry blogs or websites? Which ones?
The majority of my professional-related reading comes from the personal blogs of like-minded designers and developers.
What do you think is the most important attribute to being a good developer?
Intrinsically maintaining a one-to-one client relationship is highly beneficial for both people involved. Not only does it provide the client with the best possible product, but greatly spurs the developer on.
What would you like to get better at?
As web technologies are increasingly being utilised for non-web purposes, I would like to become awesome at applying the technologies to other strange and wonderful applications – such as desktop apps, exhibits, engineering etc.
What do you like doing when you aren’t working?
I occasionally participate on a multicultural youth radio show. Other more disparate hobbies include music production and cycling.
You won the QUT web design prize in 2007. What made your entry stand out?
When compared to the other groups working toward the same goal, we excelled in providing the most impressive and personalised product for the client. Our documentation was extensive (due to QUT’s requirements) allowing us to better describe our intentions.
And finally, what is your business mantra?
Ease of use, speed of production & support and very high client satisfaction!
