Back to Top

Development

HTML/CSS Coding, CMS Configurations, and Web Accessibility

Bringing a Design to Life

I am comfortable in both design and development areas of a project. Having built my own (student) projects in PHP/MySQL, JavaScript and even Flash/ActionScript, I understand the main concepts in coding and can help with debugging.

As someone who started with hand-coding HTML and CSS, I am also equally comfortable building out responsive prototypes to help developers build out sites with exact design specifications, but also allow the client to preview the designs in their own browser/device.

The knowledge of front-end development and UX design also pushed me into researching web accessibility guidelines, analysis and reporting.

Coding

Some UX deliverables will be created directly within HTML and CSS, either hand-coded or using CSS frameworks. Previous projects used JavaScript, ActionScript, PHP and MySQL. Designing in HTML and CSS can quickly test UX, UI and web accessibility issues.

I remember hand-coding my first website in college. Now it’s almost easier to design in code for certain projects by building out an HTML/CSS prototype, usually after providing mockups for the homepage and a subpage. I inspect code in the browser, and will sometimes test CSS changes right in front of a client during a video chat. Sometimes showing a change can make a decision so much easier.

Content Management Systems

Working within various content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Drupal 7 and 8, and WebFlow bridges the gap in communication between designers and developers. Tasks include configuring fields, content migration, and plugin integrations as well as technical documentation.

I’ve worked on websites using a custom CMS as well as the ever popular WordPress and Drupal content management systems, and I’ve come to understand that they all need the same basic structures to function. The type of system and configurations depend on what content and functionality will be needed. I’ve put together technical documentation about content types, listings, forms, maps, and other custom functionality details for developers in addition to the design mockups or prototypes.

Web Accessibility

Making websites accessible to as many users as possible is an important consideration when designing websites.

Understanding Section 508 requirements for compliance, using various tools to scan sites and web pages, and creating reports on issues and warnings as well as training on web and document accessibility best practices as they relate to content, design and user experience.

Featured Projects