I have been lucky enough to work on some excellent projects over the past couple of years. Here is a short selection of some of the projects I've been involved in:
www.dominos.co.uk a magnificent opportunity to really get into some excellent DHTML and develop multiple interfaces driven by XML content. Interfaces ranging from a text only view for the MS mobile explorer platforms, to a very high spec. version for Web DOM browsers, Fresco, Liberate, Sky WTVML, an easy access Web version and a Web version for older browsers. As this multi platform site is driven by one set of asps that output XML, all the different platforms markup language is delivered using XSLT templates. This site attracted an excellent full-page review in Marketing Weekly, May 2002.
"...dominos.co.uk dispensed with Flash technology in favour of Dynamic HTML. This means there is less leaping about from web page to web page as only the information that needs to change is update, this seems to happen instantaneously. The result is a much smoother and more intuitive experience for the user..."
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Intranet: Built in ASPX, MSCMS. A very extensive intranet packed with functionality built in independent modules.
What the client said:
"...our targets where easily surpassed, which exceeded everyone's expectations including my own... Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, the site is being well used, it has been an excellent launch... The project was surprisingly easy to manage. A 'Thank You' goes to everyone involved in the project for the flexibility and responsiveness with which you worked, as well as the high quality of the final deliverables..."
www.frogette.com Very nice little flash / php site, using XML for the data layer displayed with flash and XSLT.
What the client said:
"The site is lovely, soooo much better than our old one.... Thanks a million."
www.play-cricket.com on this project I lead a small team to create the entire font and back end screens, using XSLT to transform XML data feed. This was a great opportunity to really come to grips with XSLT and create a very large, complicated, content driven site.
www.channel4.com/entertainment
created the XHTML templates for this exciting teen portal for the channel 4 internal team to incorporate into their Interwoven content management system.
www.filmfour.com/oscars/ Lovely little JSP site, with Java voting engine.
www.proipn.com
for Boots. I created all the HTML and TPL files for this extensive PHP health professionals' portal, from a selection of graphic design layouts (.psds) and style guide lines.
What the client said:
"The ProIPN website was a massive project, delivering a multi-channel site for professionals, with complex sharing and blocking of information to different users. Overall, we are very pleased with the outcome. The ProIPN project will offer our users a wealth of resources including information, shopping, academic course information/booking, discussion groups and up-to-the-minute news. We were pleased with the professional approach and hard work given by the development team to deliver this project on time against tight schedules."
www.elegantresorts.com/
I designed and built this .asp, sql site deploying a content management solution enabling Elegantresorts' personnel to maintain the entire site. Creating a registration and profile engine allowing users to receive personalised content, and late availability offers. Some features of the content management system include true multilingual support allowing Elegantresorts to publish the whole site in any number of languages they choose and an 'edit the live site' feature that allows an administrator to navigate the front end of the site in order to easily locate and edit content.
What the client said:
"Those of us who are closest to the process are delighted with the outcome. We are particularly happy that Internet professionals have praised the technical design and functionality of the site. I would like to express our thanks to you and your team for an extremely successful project."
www.bpb.co.uk asp corporate site:
"I just wanted to thank you and the rest of the team for the hard work that was put in during the project and also to pass on some of the positive comment and feedback that we have received since going live. Interestingly this has been from a variety of sources around the globe including, Macedonia, China, South Africa, Finland and Brazil to name just a few..."
Here is a short description of the interactive TV projects I have been lucky enough to work on:
www.dominos.co.uk I joined Fernhart late 2001 and one of my first projects was to start building the interface for Domino's version 2. Apart from the three different web views, the Dominos consumer site is accessible though a number of iTV platforms based on the Sky WTVML browser, Liberate and Fresco. I was primarily responsible for the Liberate and Fresco build with my colleague building the Sky service. However, there was a lot of crossover as we would both be responsible for the maintenance of all iTV platforms. We worked closely as a team and both learned a great deal about interactive television development and how it differs from the web. I believe Dominos was an excellent introduction to iTV commerce, as it is a clean, simple site that is designed to get the user though the order process as quickly and painlessly as at all possible, by reducing the number of steps to a bare minimum and displaying information in a clear and concise way.
Catalogue City www.altura.com A grand and ambitious Sky WTVML service. I was responsible for converting these absolutely stunning visual designs for the Altura Christmas Gifts site into Sky WTVML. This was an excellent challenge and tested my ingenuity greatly. With the designers and clients pushing for a very rich visual experience, I had to go to great lengths to replicate the designs in WTVML. Should I have been a somewhat more outspoken developer at the time, perhaps I would have been more confident to tell them that just because it can be done, it doesn't mean that it should be done!
Indeed, the Altura service in production had to be greatly simplified in order for it to run solidly on the STB. In the end this service became one of the main contributors to the Sky Best Practices document. I certainly learnt a great deal about coding for the Sky platform on this project, about what can and can't, should or shouldn't be done.
www.Fernhart.tv (two builds) I built the interface for the Fernhart.tv site and integrated it with the back end, which outputs xml data feed transformed to Sky WTVML with XSLT templates. This site is a showcase for Fernhart New Media and has some nice dynamic features including, quizzes, votes, polls and a message board. Although, the site was working fine, I returned to it and rebuilt it using the Sky Best Practice Document as a guide. Armed with the aforementioned document, I warded off protests from the design department and simplified the site considerably, removing lots of extraneous page furniture. The site now looks every bit as good as the original but works much smoother and quicker and the overall feel of the site and the user experience has improved greatly.
11/2001 - present
Head of Interactive Interface Development : Fernhart New Media
I created this roll taking the responsibility for interface development from the design department who where previously responsible for all the HTML coding and taking on the responsibility for back-end integration from the technical team, bridging the gap between the design department and the technical team.
Responsibilities include; production of front-end DXHTML/ASP/XSLT/CSS/JavaScript, leasing with partners, producing documentation e.g. Style Guides and Site Maintenance Manuals. Integration of back-end business logic with the presentation layer. Providing advice on browser issues, document type definitions.
11/1999 - 11/2001
Senior interface developer : Fortune-cookie.com
Leading member of interface development team. Primary "troubleshooter" for the department creating solutions for various technical issues. Worked on numerous commerce initiatives and corporate sites with HCI and design team to produce clear, intuitive, functional and stylish web interfaces and modules. Demonstrated technical adaptability when on top of interface development duties took on the responsibilities of system administrator looking after the win2K servers and network.
1998 - 1999
Softimage|3D computer animator : Touch & MNM
Completed the fulltime Microsoft Certificate SI-01 course in computer animation at MetroNewMedia in London. Work experience completed at Touch, where gained experience on SGI O2s running on an Irix OS network, creating 3D Nurbs models, polygon models and 3D animations.
1996 - 1998
Freelance web developer/designer
Offering technical solutions for various small graphics companies creating static html sites on a part-time freelance basis
1985 - 1995
Worked as a chef in London and Budapest. Also, spent some time in the US
1980 - 1985
Graphic Layout Artist : John Hofer Ltd.
- Visualizing and roughing out ideas with pen, pencil and magic marker
- Creating finished art work with the traditional tools, scalpel, steel ruler, process camera and pen&ink !!
Output included newspaper ads, pamphlets, packaging and other printed material.