Web Design
From planning to programming

Shown here are web sites I both designed and programmed. I can work with you from the earliest stages, brainstorming solutions, providing design sketches, and helping you organize the content. Or maybe you already have a design for the site, and only need a programmer to build it—or to build just one part. Either way, my goals in creating a web site are:

• Future flexibility and ease of maintenance.
• Professional graphic design that supports the site’s specific objectives.
• Simple navigation that guides the user rapidly to the most important information.
• Modern web standards and practices: CSS, HTML5, XHTML, semantic markup, and search-engine optimization (SEO).
• Wide compatibility including accessibility for the visually impaired, optimization for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, and high-DPI web design for “retina” displays such as the iPad's.

Flash Alternatives

I do Flash/ActionScript development for kiosks and desktop apps, but on the Web, I deploy interactivity based on standards such as JavaScript, HTML5 video, WebGL 3D, and CSS3 animation. I also code in PHP, PERL and SQL.

This HTML5 web site uses non-Flash animation techniques, including tilt-sensitive 3D icons for tablets and smartphones. The only Flash on this page is the 3D map on the right, which even mobile users can view.

Web Sites That Update Themselves

It is often vital that people with no technical training be able to update their own sites’ content. I can work worth various CMS (Content Management System) solutions, including WordPress, Joomla and my own WebUpdater system, which is designed to be so simple that anyone can use it immediately without training—and even make changes from a smartphone.

Instead of bombarding the site owner with options to think about, WebUpdater is customized to do just what each particular organization needs. It’s a “virtual webmaster” that automatically takes care of things people often pay someone like me to deal with:

• WebUpdater can watch for likely errors and correct them automatically. For example: accidentally using an old phone number, an old product name, or a trademark without the ™ symbol.
• It can make words into links automatically, detecting phrases like “contact us,” or turning product names into links to an online store.
• If you need to make the same change on multiple pages (such as a “News” sidebar), just make the change once and WebUpdater knows to update every page.
• Instead of offering complex style tools, WebUpdater automatically insures that the look of the site is maintained.
• WebUpdater is extremely compatible and portable, with no complex server software. It generates standard HTML files, so the site owner isn’t locked in: changes can still be made by other methods at any time.

See WebUpdater in Action

View a demonstration copy of a site I built for an author. On the left side is an event schedule which you can edit by typing in this box (password: demo). Details like links and boldface are handled automatically. This is not the actual site, only a copy, so try editing it! And WebUpdater can be customized to do other things; always streamlined, presenting only the options each specific site needs.