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02-November-2009

Sam Williams is client-side technical architect at agency LBi, which ranked number two in this year’s Top 100 Interactive Agencies guide. Before LBi, he freelanced at numerous London agencies as a Flash/Flex developer.

1 What is information architecture?
It can be a great many things since the Flash platform is so versatile. To some it means working in the Flash IDE and building design-heavy interactive pieces with just a sprinkle of code. But at the other end of the scale Flex developers can build large and complex applications without ever going near anything like a traditional creative design tool. For me it’s about building applications for the web. Whether I’m working in Flex or ActionScript, Flash development is writing code to solve a problem.

2 How did you get into your role?
What do you do with a Computational Physics degree? I had no idea. When I started in the industry my skills where all in Java, but I found they ported very well to ActionScript. I worked in lots of the London agencies as a freelance Flash/Flex developer before taking a full-time role at LBi as a senior rich-internet application (RIA) developer. After a couple more years and some pretty massive and challenging projects, I took on my present role, defining and leading our approach to RIAs on the Flash platform.

3 How is the sector changing and what opportunities are there?
Not so long ago large-scale application development for the Flash platform was rare and those with the knowledge to do it were thin on the ground. These days Flash and Flex are big players in the RIA space and anyone looking to build a complex front end for the web needs to consider it. That opens up opportunities for agencies to pitch for a range of business applications that Flash previously wouldn’t have been considered for.

4 What sort of job opportunities are available in the sector?
There are a wealth of jobs for developers with experience building applications for the Flash runtime. These days we’re thinking about not just the Flash player but also desktop applications in Adobe AIR. Adobe’s push into mobile will open up even more opportunities. The work that’s becoming more prevalent needs developers who can architect and build, while still keeping the user experience first priority.

5 What skills do you need in this role?
Development skills are an obvious must and it helps if you have some experience in other languages. I tend to look for developers who can demonstrate an understanding of what makes building large client-side applications challenging. You have to be able to communicate with a range of people, from creatives to managers to other developers. Technical ability is essential but it’s a collaborative and creative discipline.