I'm a web developer and designer with a love of clean layouts and pops of color. I'm fascinated by the way people interact with technology and learning ways to make technology easier and more efficient for the end user.
I graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and moved out to the Bay Area. Since living in Monterey, CA almost 6 years ago, California really stole my heart and I was very excited to have the opportunity to move back! I live out here with my husband, a Computer Science PhD at UC Berkeley, and my 4-year-old Border Collie, Halle.
I started off in college as a graphic design major, but after a couple of semesters, I realized that I wanted to do more than just design. I switched to Information Technology and started pursuing an interest in Web Development and Design and it finally clicked for me. I really enjoy being able to both design a website and bring that design to life through code. I love learning new tools and techniques and I'm constantly on the lookout for fun and interesting web design inspiration!
I am the founder, creator and lead developer of The Cake Board, a web application that allows Users to design and create their wedding cake in a 3D environment.
The Cake Board is being developed using many different technologies, frameworks and libraries:
Programming Languages: Javascript, PHP, HTML5, CSS3
Libraries: WebGL, Three.js, JQuery
Database: PHP, MySQL
Front-End Framework: Bootstrap
Web Development Tools:AJAX, JSON, Git
Being one of only 2 developers, I have had the opportunity to learn so much over the past couple of months. I've been able to work on back-end functionality and incorporate it into front-end usability. I have learned how to debug when I run into problems and to
Using graphics libraries like WebGL and Three.js, we allow users to bring their wedding cake vision to life in a 3D enviornment. They are able to rotate, zoom, and pan the scene to see every aspect of their cake. Easy integreation between Three.js and the free modeling software Blender make it easy to create our models and import them easily into our application as JSON objects.
PHP and MySQL are used to dynamically auto-populate information from our databases and keep track of a registered users projects. Our models are easily and smoothly added to the scene through the use of the jQuery library and AJAX calls
Using front-end frameworks like Bootstrap and Sass help to keep our user interface clean, easy-to-use and responsive.
I created a personal portforlio for my husband to showcase his academic accomplishments and research endeavors. I wanted to keep the website fairly minimalist to showcase his work.
To create this website, I used the programming languages HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I used the jQuery library and effects from jQuery UI such as slideToggle. In addition, I also used the front-end framework Bootstrap to create a clean layout and ensure the website was responsive and able to be viewed across multiple devices.
During my undergraduate studies, I helped work on a website for a research lab at the University. I worked with a couple of other students to design and develop a website that would highlight the members of the lab and the research they were doing. We also implemented a searchable database that would allow users to view a list of publications by members of the lab, and to filter them based on input specifications.
This website was developed using HTML, CSS, PHP, and Javascript. We also used jQuery to provide user interactivity and the Bootstrap framework for responsive development.
For a Mobile Application Development Class, I worked in a group of 8 people (5 developers and 3 designers) to create a mobile application for pet owners to connect and communicate with pet sitters. The app helped pet owners to leave clear instructions in different categories for the pet sitter, and provided a way to share pictures and updates of the pets.
This iOS application was written in Swift using the Xcode IDE. Our group also used Git and Github for version control and to be able to have multiple people working on the same code at the same time.
I've worked on a couple of side projects lately, doing things like invitations and logos. I really enjoy finding new fonts and experimenting with combining different textures and styles together to make some visually appealing.
Primarily, I've done this work using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
When working on the design part of development, I use mockups and wireframing to plan out a website before I spend hours creating it. It provides a good way to translate the ideas in my head into a concrete plan and figure out how exactly the website will work.
Besides pen and paper, the tool that I use to create mockups most often is either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. In addition, I have used other software programs like Balsamiq Mockups.
