I trained in fine arts at Emily Carr Institute and graduated in 1996, when the web had finally become mainstream. After several years of just-a-job employment and falling in love with the web, I was back to school studying web design and production.
8 years experience building websites
I worked on large TELUS web properties for over 6 years; from junior programmer and designer, to design lead & production manager, to resident usability specialist/interaction designer. I also dabbled in some fun designs for mobile devices, branded some white-label software and created web advertising. In March 2007 I became a full-time freelancer working primarily for Bluelime Media.
Visual Design
I specialize in visual design for the web, which means my creative process is informed by what makes sense on the web — be it for the user or for your objectives. I’m also well versed in disciplines which some web designers are lacking, such as typography, effective layout, and usability.
Usability & Interaction Design
One of my many roles on the TELUS web team was interaction designer & usability specialist. I worked to improve the user experience of our products by creating wireframes, running usability tests, and collaborating with vendors and other designers.
As manager of the design and production team at mytelus.com, I started a recurring usability testing program and facilitated the weekly tests with customers. The insights gained from these sessions enabled us to continuously improve the effectiveness our designs. I found these sessions invigorating and welcome opportunities to work directly with users.
Development/Coding
These days I hand-code XHTML/CSS and dabble in a bit of PHP for custom WordPress builds, customizing JavaScript, etc. In earlier roles as a junior programmer I worked extensively with ColdFusion, JavaScript, and Velocity Templates (a Java MVC framework).
The bottom line is I can:
- code XHTML/CSS sites that are streamlined, semantic, and standards-compliant
- do basic tweaks to other people’s programs
- work effectively with a development team to build complex applications
Education
Diploma of Fine Art (Sculpture & Ceramics) from Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design.
Internet Publishing Certificate from UBC Continuing Studies.
Tons of self-taught and peer-learning from industry conferences, listservs, and websites: UPA, UIE.com, Van-UE and IxDA lists, aListApart.com, etc.
