A little on my design philosophy

I started my design career back in 1995 right when the web was becoming something. I was given the task of putting together the company website, so I had to learn everything from scratch. Back then, HTML was only a few tags. Now coding a site is a big behemoth of possibilities, with CSS and other front-end bits and pieces making browser-compatibility a nightmare.

Along the way, I developed a love for what now gets the label of user experience design and opted to leave the true coding to the pros who could keep up with the changing structure and rules. I still dabble a bit and coded this site myself, but it takes me 17 times longer than someone who really knows what they're doing—and likely includes some very horked CSS :-)

My design process could be peppered with all the typical buzzwords—user-centered design, usability focused, user needs, taskflows, sitemaps, wireframes, research, metrics, teamwork, etc. Anybody can throw those words around. But there's much more to design than buzzwords. There's the practical side that has to take into account the needs of the business while designing a solution. What are the goals of the page, both from the perspective of the user and also from the business? What is the number one thing we want users to do on the screen to help the bottom line of the company?

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's the importance of business goals and metrics. The success of a website or application is an intricate combination of the user's needs and ability to accomplish their task in a way that satisfies the business needs of the company. Design is not just about making it pretty and avant-garde; it's about solving real problems. I like to think I'm pretty good at doing just that while creating a smooth, enjoyable experience.

So dig in. Take a look at what I've done for mobile and web solutions.