Years of experience have taught me many things.
Concept, Strategy and Information Architecture
These aspects of my knowledge play an essential part of everyday practice in my role as Technical Lead. I contribute my technical understanding to projects and new work proposals. I help define the scope and parameters of a job. I specify and define concepts, requirements, designs and technical detail in documentation.
Team Leadership, Project Management and Processes
I work with Account Managers and the rest of our design and development team to help guide projects to completion with effective planning and scheduling.
Flash & ActionScript Development
I program applications using ActionScript3 (AS3). I work closely with visual interface designers, developing components for their level of technical ability to allow easy customisation of their work without compromising functionality or design. I have worked with (and sometimes against) ActionScript since Flash 4, through the prototype inhertience methodologies of AS1 the improvementsin AS2. With AS3 on the scene, ActionScript is emerging as a mature programming language.
Server side programming with PHP & mySQL
I have developed bespoke server side functionality of several websites, Content Management Systems and web-based database applications with PHP and mySQL. I find PHP a flexible and excellent tool, and I once developed my own framework to support rapid deployment of projects. CodeIgniter is now my PHP framework of choice. Drupal is a recent addition to my knwoledge, and I find it has its place when used appropriately.
Ajax & JavaScript
The capability of the browser as a platform for responsive applications has improved dramatically since I first used JavaScript to make rollover button effects. I have an advanced knowledge of pure JavaScript, but the maturation of libraries has helped iron out browser differences and speed up development. Depending on the job I use the Yahoo! User Interface library, Dojo Toolkit or JQuery. Each has its advantages and I am familiar with them all. (See my blog entry where I discuss this choice). I have also worked with MooTools, ExtJS, and my own bespoke collections of code.
Web standards with [X]HTML and CSS
Using web standards and semantic markup is a Good Thing. It simply makes sense to be standards compliant when creating web pages. As far as I can tell my job has become easier since I do not have to create two or more versions of every web page. So with all my work I stick to standards and try keep web pages accessible. And I love the power of CSS to separate content from style.
Server Infrastructure and Hosting
I think it's essential to have as much control as possible over the environment in which one produces work. I install and manage various Linux distributions and applications for development, testing and production environments. I manage Subversion (SVN) repositories for code, and I install issue tracking and project management applications to facilitate communication in the studio.
CD-ROM applications with Director & Lingo
I was introduced to interactive multimedia and computers when I attended an 8 week course called "Authoring Multimedia using Director 4" at a night college in east London. I was blown away – at last I had found a medium of expression that seemed to suit my brain. And so I spent the late nights of the following 6 months cutting my teeth on Director and Lingo. Over the years I have returned to sharpen up - and I still find Director better than anything else for some desktop applications, like interacting with the host file system.
Visual Design
I have more than a passing appreciation for the principles of visual design, graphic communication and data visualisation. I understand the value of grids, typography, composition and colour. I have read Edward Tufte and Alan Fletcher's The Art of Looking Sideways is one of my favourite books. Saul Bass is my favourite graphic designer. On a practical level I am familiar with Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash's drawing tools. OmniGraffle is great for UX deliverables.