---
layout: post
title: "A New Year, a New Focus"
date: 2017-01-09 21:44:13
categories: Business
meta: "In 2017, I want to begin shifting my focus more toward making things fast"
---

For the longest time, I’ve been known for my work in the CSS field. And
expectedly so: with a site called _CSS Wizardry_ hosting well [over a
hundred-and-fifty articles](/archive/) about the stuff, [over sixty conference
appearances](/speaking/) almost all covering the topic, and numerous
[newsletters](/newsletter/) and
[screencasts](https://www.youtube.com/user/csswizardry) about it, it’s easy to
see why.

Over the past three years of consultancy work I’ve helped some [amazing
people](/#section:clients) level up their CSS architecture, but there’s also
been a lot of other work that’s happened alongside it. With a great majority of
these clients, we’ve also taken a look at how their sites actually perform both
over the wire and on users’ devices. I’ve helped companies large and small focus
entirely on optimising performance, and it’s something I am very serious and
passionate about.

It’s something I am keen to do more of.

## The State of Web Performance

<blockquote class="pull-quote  pull-quote--context-alt" id="quote:tim-kadlec">
  <p>There is a short list of people I whole-heartedly recommend for detailed
  performance work and Harry is right up there at the top.</p>
  <b class="source  pull-quote__source"><a href="https://timkadlec.com/">Tim Kadlec</a></b>
</blockquote>

I feel like we have a problem: as technologies improve, tools are becoming more
costly; as connectivity becomes more ubiquitous, pages are growing heavier; and
as more and more people are coming online, the web is getting slower. It’s like
there are two workstreams flowing in opposite directions.

The people tasked with building websites and applications often forget that they
tend to do so in a bubble of wired connections and powerful machines, failing to
understand the real-world conditions in which people use their products. The
[next Billion](https://qz.com/on/the-next-billion/) (with a capital <i>B</i>)
internet users certainly [do not enjoy](https://www.webworldwide.io/) the
increasingly Westernised conditions for which we seem to build things.

The more I’ve traveled, worked with clients, or talked with developers, the more
apparent it has become that there is a skills and/or knowledge gap across
companies: from executive level, all the way down to development teams. A
conversation I had recently served to highlight this issue further. Whilst
discussing the intricacies of a certain performance (anti-)pattern, a developer
brazenly claimed <q>…let’s assume an 8MB connection and 50ms RTT.</q>. It’s
exactly these lines of thinking that I want to help to change.

But! The good thing about being in this position is that it gives us a lot of
room for improvement. Let’s make it better.

<blockquote class="pull-quote" id="quote:parallax">
  <p>We hired Harry to provide performance consultancy on a high profile and
  highly trafficked website for one of Europe’s most recognised authorities. His
  detailed and intricate knowledge […] allowed him to improve performance by
  over 400% […] he managed to optimise and restructure things in such a way that
  load times went from around 6.25 seconds to just 1.5.</p>
  <b class="source  pull-quote__source">Tom Faller, <a href="http://parall.ax/">Parallax</a></b>
</blockquote>

## Performance Consultancy

All of this to say… **In 2017 (and indeed beyond) I want to begin putting more
focus on my performance work.** Of course—_of course_—I
will still be doing my usual CSS architecture work, but if you:

* **want someone to audit your site’s current performance:** it helps to know
  where you’re at right now;
* **need someone to explain the importance of performance to stakeholders:**
  convincing clients and managers about the importance of performance is _hard_;
* **are an ecommerce company wanting to improve performance:** speed and
  conversion rates are very, very closely linked;
* **would like performance training and workshops:** enabling your team to make
  websites fast, and keep them that way;
* **or need any help at all with making your site, product, or app _fast_:**
  then [we should talk](/contact/).

**You want it done; I want to do it.**

<blockquote class="pull-quote" id="quote:rich-fogarty">
  <p>Harry’s focused, practical approach allowed us to implement significant
  changes which improved our user experience and overall performance
  dramatically. I recommend him wholeheartedly.</p>
  <b class="source  pull-quote__source">Rich Fogarty, <a href="http://concreteplayground.com">Concrete Playground</a></b>
</blockquote>