We keep adding successes! On Friday, May 22, Seminar A was once again filled with laptops for our event on web development in WordPress. This time, we put aside typing code for a day to enjoy a masterclass on the real foundations of a good digital product. Plus, since you all came with your homework done, you’ve now taken home LocalWP installed and configured, ready to explore and practice at your own pace everything you’ve learned!
For this session, we had the luxury of hosting two true veterans of the WordPress community. On one hand, JuanKa Díaz (Front-End Programmer), head of the development studio Jdevelopia.com and one of the main driving forces managing the official WP Barcelona and WP Tarragona communities. On the other hand, Nora Ferreirós, UI/UX Designer (you can check out her work at noraferreiros.com).
Before diving into the secrets of design, the session started by establishing some fundamental bases: What exactly is WordPress? They reminded us that its founding mission is none other than democratizing publishing on the internet. But the real secret of this CMS isn’t just its code, but its immense Community, like the one in WordPress Barcelona.
👥 The two users: The visitor and the “forgotten” one
We usually think that User Experience (UX) is only for the Final User, the one who visits the website to buy or subscribe. But Nora and JuanKa opened our eyes to the other great protagonist: the Editor User (marketing, CEOs, designers, copywriters…).
While the final user has simple interactions, the editor faces a complex system. The goal? To create smart “interaction constraints.” That is, designing the web in such a way that we guide the editor and prevent them from breaking the design by uploading a giant image or changing a color palette.
🏭 Rompiendo la maldita “Cadena de 🏭 Breaking the cursed “Assembly Line”
Why do web projects sometimes end in drama? Because we work in an assembly line: the client asks -> marketing makes the strategy -> the copywriter writes -> design adds “pretty colors” -> and development eats the problems nobody saw coming.
The solution they presented is clear:
- Planning: Say what you’re going to do before doing it and, above all, ask to truly figure out what the client needs.
- Communication: Talk things out, be flexible, and propose alternatives (“instead of doing this which causes problems, I propose doing that”).
- Methodology: Use atomic design, modular design, and design systems in tools like Figma. This is the key to designing in a way that the programmer won’t hate you!
💻 Development: Our goal is for them not to need us
In the more technical part of WordPress (this great CMS born to democratize internet publishing), JuanKa explained the magic of properly structuring data.
It’s not about giving the editor a blank page, but using dynamic content to our advantage. For example, for a team page or an events list, the minimum unit of interaction shouldn’t be the free-text editor. As developers, we must create independent files and layouts where the editor only has to fill out a form (photo, name, summary). This way, the information is so well structured that later it’s incredibly easy to even extract it to an Excel sheet.
🎁 HUGE NEWS: We have new SWAG!
Taking advantage of the full room and talking about design, we dropped the bombshell of the day: We have revealed the new official SWAG design of the branch! 👕✨ Stay tuned, because over the next few weeks we’ll start distributing the new official IEEE x GDGoC UAB merchandise. You’ll want to wear it everywhere!
What’s next?
We loved seeing how profiles from different engineering fields showed interest in the intersection between pure code and user experience. Your feedback continues to be spectacular and confirms that mixing disciplines is the right path.
We are already preparing the calendar for the final stretch of the course. If you were left wanting more, want to propose a topic, or feel like joining the organizing team… the doors are open!
Sign up for free as a member and Follow us on Instagram and keep an eye on your email to find out when you can get the new SWAG and what our next events will be. The technological revolution continues at UAB!
The IEEE Student Branch UAB x GDGoC UAB Team