The Geek Talk

Who is Scott Jehl?

I’m a Boston-based web designer. I work at Filament Group and I’m pretty active in the open-source web community. In the past, I’ve enjoyed speaking at conferences such as Voices That Matter, writing for sites such as A List Apart, and I recently co-authored the book Designing with Progressive Enhancement (New Riders, 2010). I’m a jQuery team member, most recently leading the development of jQuery Mobile.

Where and when did you start programming?

I began dabbling with the web while working on my degree in Graphic Design at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. Their program was print-focused and there wasn’t much available at the time in the way of formal web design training, so I spent my free time bouncing between “View Source” on various websites and learning from books, like Jeffrey Zeldman’s Designing with Web Standards.

Why JavaScript?

I love working with JavaScript, but I didn’t choose to develop in it for any particular reason other than that it’s what comes with working web standards – and I really do love the web as a medium in itself. The universal applicability of JavaScript is amazing; I love that you can use a single, relatively standard coding approach to reach so many people and devices. Also, I enjoy the challenges of making a single codebase work well across different browsers, with all their quirks and slight differences in interpretation. I enjoy the thought process of  building apps so that they’ll work when JavaScript isn’t available at all, but take advantage of emerging technologies whenever possible. The constant need for clever workarounds to bridge the gaps between old and new technologies on the web keeps things very interesting.

What does your typical day look like?

Lately at Filament Group, I’ve been going back and forth between client projects, working on jQuery Mobile, and trying to develop techniques that are needed in one or both. Lately, we’ve been working with Ethan Marcotte on a responsive design for a large-scale site, so that’s been a great challenge that has been taking most of my time – look for it to launch this summer!

What do you do in your free time?

I like to disconnect as much as possible outside work. I really enjoy traveling, learning about cooking and brewing beer with my wife, reading, and distance running.

Current favorite apps?

I use the browser on my phone a lot more than I use apps, but lately I’ve been really enjoying the Instagram app. I’ll open the NYTimes app pretty much every day on the subway ride to work. I haven’t really needed it yet, but Word Lens is a pretty incredible app as well.

What OS do you prefer?

Mac & iOS.

Small picture for your Workplace?

Name something that has inspired you recently?

I visited the MIT museum last weekend and found the exhibits completely inspiring – particularly the moving machine sculptures. I highly recommend a visit!

What do you prefer (and why)? Freelance work or full time employment?

Probably full-time. I really work best when collaborating with a well-balanced and talented team.

What are your personal projects and goals for 2011?

Releasing jQuery Mobile 1.0 is a big short-term goal. There are a lot of browsers we’re attempting to support, so that’s been quite a challenge. Other than that, I plan to continue improving some of the side projects I’ve been working on to make responsive designs easier to deploy across a broad range of devices, like Respond.js and Responsive Images. I’ll be presenting at some upcoming conferences as well, such as the jQuery Conf in San Francisco.