UX Design
I’ve been a web designer since 2000 and I follow best practices in User Experience Design.
Design Style
My design style is minimalist and I enjoy designing clean, un-cluttered interfaces, stripping out unnecessary elements, making it easier for the user to find the content they require.
I like to use a limited palette of accessible colours, white space, impactful typography and high quality photography and illustrations.
User Research
Understanding the user and their needs will help prioritise content on a page. Analytical data will show the most popular pages. This will inform the information architecture of the website.
Information Architecture
Google Analytical data will determine the most popular content which should be prioritised in the content hierarchy. A sitemap will visualise the content hierarchy of the website.
Content Formatting
Content should be easy to scan and formatted using:
- Clear, concise text, written in the correct tone for your audience
- Short sentences and paragraphs
- Use of descriptive sub-headers to break up content
- Use of bullet points when applicable
Wireframes
Sketches, low-res wireframes and user journeys are created to show basic layouts of the positioning of elements on the page.
User Testing
A group of users should test the website during design and development at the following stages:
- wireframes/user journey creation
- hi-res interface design
- HTML prototypes
- additional functionality
- pre-launch
UI Design
I have a good understanding of UI Design Principles and I apply them to create interfaces that are easy to navigate, are consistent and reduce cognitive load.
Setting up strict design rules for all elements and applying them consistently will create ordered, tidy interfaces to make it easy for the user to navigate and scan for content.
Colour
If the website colours are not defined in the brand guidelines, they can be sampled from the logo or existing artwork.
I like to use a limited colour palette and use contrasting colours to highlight buttons and other interactive elements.
Typography
I like to use a limited and consistent font selection for a website, using different sizes and weights to create typography with impact. Using only one font family can help improve page load speed.
Photography
If photographs are used on the website they should be professional. If none are available, they can be sourced from free online image galleries such as Unsplash.com.
Software
I’ve over 20 years experience using the Adobe suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and InDesign). More recently I’ve used Sketch and Figma.
Front End Development
I've been continually learning Front End Development for over 10 years and enjoy the process of learning new technologies and creating applications.
- I am expert level HTML and CSS and proficient in JavaScript, PHP and WordPress Development.
- I have experience in web animation, using Advanced CSS, JavaScript and GSAP to animate page elements.
- I use MAMP for local development of dynamic websites and PHP MyAdmin to import and export MySQL databases.
- I have experience in managing servers, hosting websites and email with cPanel
- I am skilled in building complex user interfaces, integrating APIs, and optimising performance, SEO and accessibility.
- I am also experienced in version control using Git, and testing using Chrome Developer Tools.
WordPress Development
I have over 10 years experience as a WordPress developer and I am familiar with other PHP based CMSs including Craft.
- I have experience in creating custom themes and plugins, building websites from scratch and customising existing WordPress sites and plugins.
- I use WordPress-specific technologies such as custom post types and Advanced Custom Fields.
- I have a good understanding of WordPress architecture and security, and I am skilled in optimising WordPress sites for speed and performance.
- I am experienced at troubleshooting, debugging, and testing, using tools such as debugging plugins and server error logs.
- I have experience in managing and maintaining WordPress sites, including performing updates, backups and security checks.
- I provide training for clients in website content management in the form of step by step guides and videos.
Other
- I have experience creating digital marketing strategies, delivering them and reporting on them.
- I've designed HTML email newsletters for online marketing campaigns. I've also created campaigns in Mailchimp, designing the emails and reporting on the campaign.
- I've experience writing website proposals and responding to tenders.