CV / Resume

An overview of my skillset for prospective clients

I'm a web-developer, programmer and author, specialising in advanced JavaScript programming, and accessible site and application development. With more than twelve 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
• among the foremost javascript programmers in the world
• 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 and ARIA-enabled 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.