Profile
Drawing upon my background in interaction design and front-end development, I specialize in helping colleagues synthesize user needs and business goals into standards-based and technically elegant user experiences.
Experience
NPR Washington, D.C.
WEB DESIGNER: February 2010 to present
Lead designer for NPR's Project Argo.
USA TODAY McLean, VA
SENIOR WEB DESIGNER: May 2008 to February 2010
Responsible for design process improvements, information architecture, visual design and HTML/CSS/JavaScript development for USATODAY.com.
- Led the interaction design and front-end development efforts for numerous USATODAY.com projects, including all dynamic team sports coverage, the 2008 Election, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the data-driven Toxic Air and America's Schools microsite, an award-winning investigative project.
- Conducted an in-depth user research project focused on providing management with an enhanced understanding of how design work is assigned throughout USA TODAY.
- Designed and developed a WordPress-based asset tracking system to streamline the dissemination of information on the status of design projects.
American Chemical Society Washington, D.C.
Art Director, Web Strategy and Operations: December 2006 to May 2008
Created and maintained the American Chemical Society's online visual identity.
- Managed a team of visual designers responsible for the user experience of content and applications.
- Worked with user research and information architecture managers on prototypes for ongoing test plans.
- Led the visual design and front-end development efforts of an organization-wide redesign of www.acs.org.
Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Washington D.C.
User Interface Designer: April 2006 to December 2006
Designed and programmed online news products and subscription-based web applications for CQ.com and related Congressional Quarterly web sites.
- As part of the Editorial Product Development team, worked in XSL and JSP to develop the interface for CQ Legislative Impact.
- Synthesized user research and business requirements into a series of medium-fidelity prototypes that will be used to test and validate assumptions about the future of Congressional Quarterly's web platform.
American Chemical Society Washington D.C.
Web Designer: October 2003 to March 2006
Responsible for online production of the weekly newsmagazine Chemical & Engineering News, the design of Flash-based interactive graphics, and the establishment of production workflow enhancements.
- Designed and implemented a new print-to-web workflow to support an operating system upgrade and the transition from QuarkXpress to Adobe InDesign.
- Led magazine efforts to adopt semantic XHTML/CSS coding practices.
- Promoted to Web Production Designer at Chemical & Engineering News after starting at the American Chemical Society as a freelance web designer in October 2003.
Freelance Graphic Design Columbus, OH; Chicago, IL
Web and Print Designer: March 2002 To October 2003
Designed web and print materials for clients as an independent contractor, and through Chicago-based freelance agencies Artisan for Hire and The Buzz Company.
Interactive Ink, Incorporated Columbus, OH
Web Designer: August 2000 To March 2002
As a lead designer, served as a key client contact and developed numerous websites, CD-ROMs and print projects.
- Worked closely with programmers on the development of ColdFusion-based web sites.
Education
Ohio University Athens, OH
Degrees conferred in 2000
Graduated with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Visual Communication and Journalism.
- Areas of concentration: interactive multimedia and advertising, with a minor in history.