CV / Resume
An overview of my skillset for prospective clients
I'm a web developer, programmer and author, specialising in front-end site development, with a particular emphasis on accessibility, and especially accessible JavaScript. With more than years' professional experience in the field, my particular interest is in building highly accessible user-interfaces, using standards-based web technologies.
I am highly skilled and experienced at front-end development using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and regarded by my peers as an expert in these areas. I also have a great deal of experience with back-end development using PHP and MySQL, and with intermediary technologies such as XML and JSON
When you hire brothercake, you're not just hiring a person, you're hiring a wealth of hard-learned experienced, backed by a genuine passion and interest in producing the highest quality work, with a scrupulous attention to detail that is rarely found.
Through all my time in this industry, I've always practice what I preach — I don't merely advocate best-practice, I exemplify it in all the work I do. And this is how I've gained the reputation that I have:
- a respected industry leader in the field of accessible web development
- a frequent blogger, author and speaker, with several books published, and numerous articles, papers and talks on a whole range of web-related topics
Freelance and Contract Work
As a freelancer I've been involved with a diverse range of client projects, covering all the areas of web development in which I have experience.
My clients have included some of the most prestigious organisations in the world, including a multi-national manufacturer of network hardware, one of the largest telecoms companies in the US, a multi-national entertainment producer and distributor, several international charities, and one of the world's largest banks. I've also worked for numerous small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia.
To give a few examples:
- Design and development of bespoke browser extensions; for a major European browser vendor.
- Development of iOS-compatible sliders and drag ‘n’ drop functionality; for UK-based developers of an online survey and data-reporting application.
- Design and implementation of a file-menu system to be used inside a server management application; for a major US networking company.
- Auditing the accessibility of the company's corporate site, then advising-on and implementing improved client-side template components; for a major US telecoms company.
- Design and development of bespoke JavaScript menus and navigation systems for several international clients, including drop-downs, fly-outs, folder-trees, and most recently — an iPod-style paged menu with ‘you-are-here’ indication and transition effects, for an Australian government department.
- Building a brochure site for a New York fertility clinic, including front-end templates and a back-end taxonomy and templating system.
- Prototyping and proof-of-concept programming for a small UK business, who were in the early stages of designing an innovative web application, and needed a working prototype to prove it would work.
- Implementation of user-interface components to be used within a CMS product; for an Australian software development company.
- Consulting on accessibility during the development phase of a new portal site; for a UK media company.
- Building client-side templates for several CMS-based e-commerce stores, including those of a UK health charity, a global conservation organisation, and a major multi-national entertainment company; all outsourced by a UK web design and e-commerce agency.
- Countless hours and days spent converting PSDs into HTML and CSS templates! Most of these clients need code which is clean, well-structured and easy to maintain, to use as templates in their CMS. Since I have experience in server-side and client-side programming, as well as in writing and managing content to strict deadlines, I have a strong sense of empathy with the needs of people who write, maintain and work with Content Management Systems.
I could go on ... but this should be enough to give you a sense of the kinds of projects I can undertake, and the kinds of organisations I've worked for.
Recent Employment
My most recent employment was as a front-end specialist working for SitePoint, a Melbourne-based online media and education provider. I was involved in the technical and commercial development of SitePoint's online properties, technical writing and editing, and internal consulting on issues of accessibility, usability and best-practice. I worked for SitePoint full-time between 2007-2008, and now contract for them on a freelance basis.
Development projects I was involved in during my time at SitePoint include: the re-development and subsequent re-branding of SitePoint Design Contests and the SitePoint Marketplace (now 99designs, Flippa and SitePoint Market), research and experimentation into best-practice programming techniques, creating interactive tools and resources for other developers (such as Firefox add-ons), and ongoing upgrades and maintenance of sitepoint.com.
I wrote several feature articles for SitePoint, and numerous blog-posts, becoming known for my off-beat, sometimes contentious take on industry issues. I also contributed to my second book, The Art & Science of JavaScript, and began writing my third, The JavaScript Ultimate Reference.
So how can I help you?
Please do get in touch, and let me know what you need. My services are not the cheapest, but then you get what you pay for — professional, quality work that adds real value to your online estate.