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The usability and accessibility consultation work listed below was performed during my employment as Director of Web Development for User-Centered Design, Inc. (UCD) in Ashburn, Virginia. My presence on the staff of User-Centered Design placed the company in a unique position - differentiating them from most usability consulting firms which typically do not have staff with similar technical backgrounds to mine. This enabled User-Centered Design to not only point out what was wrong with a client's product, but also to show them what steps need to be taken to fix the product as well.
The NCI is a federally funded research and development center, one of eight agencies that compose the Public Health Service in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program and funds cancer researchers around the United States.
Throughout my time with User-Centered Design, the National Cancer Institute was by far our biggest client. During a 3 year span, I worked on numerous projects for various organizations within NCI, including the following:
National Institute of Standards and Technology, is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce's Technology Administration. The institute's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life.
As an employee for UCD, I participated in a long-term project to perform quantitative research on numerous types of voting machines. The end-goal of this research is to assist in the development of compliance criteria for voting machine manufacturers in the area of usability. In addition to my participation in the studies themselves, I was also responsible for the development of a custom usability testing tool for gathering of quantitative data.
I served in various roles throughout a long-term subcontracting arrangement including participating in expert reviews, Section 508 reviews and in-lab usability studies involving various features of the United States Postal Service website, such as:
The Bank of Tampa provides financial services for residents and businesses throughout Hillsborough County, Florida. In a cooperative agreement with Bottom Line Connection, a Baltimore-based marketing consulting firm for banks and credit unions, I completed an in-depth expert review for Bank of Tampa.
United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.
During an arrangement with C2 Group, I performed a Section 508 Review of an e-learning application used to educate Customs and Border Patrol employees about Section 508
The HealthCentral Network, Inc. has a collection of owned and operated Web sites and multimedia affiliate properties providing timely, in-depth, trusted medical information, personalized tools and resources, and connections to a vast community of leading experts and patients for people seeking to manage and improve their health.
I played a significant role in expert reviews of two websites for Care Central.
Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics in the United States
During a multi-phase contract for the Food and Drug Administration, I participated in an expert review of an FDA web site and in-lab usability studies of another site for FDA. Additionally, I oversaw the production of two web sites for the FDA.
Global InfoTek, Inc. develops and integrates advanced information technology. Their staff of senior scientists and software architects apply their expertise to build innovative solutions for our customers, on time and on budget. GITI is based in Reston, Virginia, and has staff deployed worldwide.
As part of a contract with Global Infotek, I participated in a project which oversaw the development of QA testing procedures for a software application developed for DARPA, to be used by the US Army.
Hanley Wood is a provider of market information and business advice to the residential development industry. Hanley Wood helps their clients analyze and interpret key trends impacting the housing market.
During a long-term relationship with Hanley Wood, I participated in expert reviews and in-lab usability tests on both ePlans.com and eBuild.com, sites owned by Hanley Wood.
Network Solutions manages more than 7.6 million domain names. Their size, founding status, and longevity have made them one of the most important corporations affecting domain name price and policy.
I contributed to numerous in-lab usability tests and provided accessibility review during our arrangement with them.
Sprint Nextel Corporation is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. With 55 million subscribers, Sprint Nextel operates the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States (based on total wireless customers), behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Sprint is a global Tier 1 Internet carrier, and, as such, makes up a portion of the Internet backbone. In the United States, the company also operates the second largest wireless broadband network and is the third largest long distance provider.
During a long-term relationship with Sprint Nextel, I participated in expert reviews and in-lab usability tests for web-based projects. In addition, I participated in usability evaluations (focus groups, expert review) of Nextel FanView, named as one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2006. Here's a quote from a press release about the FanView:
TIME Magazine's list of Best Inventions 2006, which hit newsstands this week, includes the fan-favorite NASCAR NEXTEL FanView, a hand-held scanner that includes video, audio and data capabilities. Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), NASCAR and Kangaroo.TV (TSX: KTV) introduced the newest at-track wireless technology for spectators in February.
"To be included in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions is an honor and a privilege. More so, it's a testament to Sprint Nextel, NASCAR and Kangaroo.TV?s dedication to advance the sport through innovative wireless technology," said Dean Kessel, director of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series marketing for Sprint Nextel. "We want our legacy to denote technological advancements that enhance the fan experience and by creating this revolutionary device, fans sitting in the stands can experience racing like never before."
The first device of its kind in any major sport, NASCAR NEXTEL FanView combines the race telecast and up to seven in-car camera channels, direct audio feeds allowing the user to listen to live driver and team conversations, as well as the radio broadcast and an exclusive audio-replay feature. NASCAR NEXTEL FanView also taps directly into NASCAR's timing and scoring system, providing fans with real-time race data and statistics at the touch of a button. The device is available for rent at NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events.
The NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) is located within the Office of the Director of NIH and is responsible for the scientific, budgetary, legislative, and policy elements of the NIH AIDS research program.
I played a significant role in a large scale website redesign project including the creation of revised information architecture and creation of a custom tool to test information architecture.
The National Pain Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 1998 to advance functional recovery of persons in pain through information, education and support. The NPF is built on the belief that early intervention of pain conditions can positively change the direction of a person's life. The organization was created to serve the 75 million Americans living with chronic pain.
I participated in an in-lab usability study for National Pain Foundation.
Through an experiential learning style, Reflective Learning develops and implements powerful learning solutions that improve participants' effectiveness and quality of life.
I played a significant role in expert reviews of both the public facing site for Reflective Learning and their custom developed e-learning software.
Revolution Health Group is a Washington DC-based corporation founded in July 2005 by Steve Case, who previously co-founded America Online. Revolution Health's mission is to change healthcare by giving people the tools, information and support to manage their health and wellness actively.
I completed a competitive accessibility review for Revolution Health, comparing their site against two of their competitors.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
I participated in an expert review and multiple in-lab usability studies of a website developed to support St. Jude's Thanks and Giving Campaign.
The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. It is administered by the Secretary of State.
I participated in numerous tasks during a long-term relationship with this client including Section 508 Reviews, expert reviews, in-lab usability studies and design consultation.
The Administrative Office (AO) of the US Courts is, as their name implies, the administrative side to the Federal Judiciary. The AO performs many tasks in support of our country's judicial system.
I played a primary role in the development of a new information architecture for an upcoming website redesign. In addition, I created a custom tool for use during in-lab usability studies to test the new information architecture.
United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.
I played a significant role in numerous tasks during a long-term relationship with this client including Section 508 Reviews, expert reviews, and in-lab usability studies.
The Aerospace Medical Association is the largest, most-representative professional organization in the fields of aviation, space, and environmental medicine.
As Director of Web Development for User-Centered Design, Inc., I was charged with the management of the production and development of a complete website for this non-profit professional organization. This site uses a tables/CSS hybrid approach and is driven with PHP and MySQL. This site - as with all of my work - meets-or-exceeds Section 508 standards and is fully valid XHTML and CSS. This site contains a feature-rich members' section that allows the organization's members and staff to perform tasks such as award nominations, polls, officer maintenance, e-mail distribution and more. This site also utilizes and XML import/ export interface to merge data between the site and the organization's membership and accounting software.
In addition to overseeing the creation of the site, I was also responsible for overseeing ongoing management, maintenance and upgrades of the site.
During this project, I oversaw the development services performed by numerous subcontractors, one of which is Randy Goldstein of BizMarquee. Mr. Goldstein has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at 410-530-3137.
Technology Transfer Center (TTC) provides a complete array of services to support the National Cancer Institute's technology development activities. To ensure that these activities comport with Federal statutes, regulations and the policies of the National Institutes of Health, a large part of TTC's responsibilities includes the day-to-day negotiations of transactional agreements between the NCI and outside parties, including universities, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
As Director of Web Development for User-Centered Design, Inc., I oversaw the design and development of a new website for TTC which includes a custom-built content management system and mailing list service. In addition to overseeing the creation of the site, I was also responsible for overseeing ongoing management, maintenance and upgrades of the site.
The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) is the keystone of NCI's efforts to reduce the unequal burden of cancer in our society. As the organizational locus for these efforts, the Center directs the implementation of and supports initiatives that advance understanding of health disparities.
As Director of Web Development for User-Centered Design, Inc., I oversaw the maintenance of the CRCHD web site and creation of numerous new dynamic features for that site. In addition, I oversaw design and development of two special-purpose extranets operating on PHP and using an Oracle database.
For over thirty years Airflow Research has been defining technological leadership in cylinder head manufacturing and flow dynamics. This complete commitment to performance has enabled Airflow Research's cylinder heads to find themselves on the fastest race cars and the most powerful street machines in the country. As every engine builder will attest to, the secret to increasing horsepower and performance lies in the cylinder head, and Airflow Research's cylinder heads outflow and out horsepower everything in their league.
Working alongside Chris Sperling of Airflow Research, I consulted with this company to improve their search engine positioning for vital keywords. The entire site was essentially remade from scratch, going from a frames-based to CSS-based layout, converting a JavaScript-driven menu to one which is generated from PHP, and optimizing the content itself for more search engine friendliness. The results have been astonishing, as the quote from the client clearly demonstrates:
"My website went from an Alexa ranking of 1,450,000+ to just under 450,000 in under 3 months. As well, on Google, Yahoo, and MSN searches previous to the changes made, my website was ranked on the 3rd+ page. Now I am on the top 10 for the majority of Google searches and moving up on the Yahoo and MSN pages as well. Thank you for the help and knowledge received Karl!"
Following the above SEO project, Airflow Research chose to hire me to create a catalog request and mailing list management system. This new system allows customers to request new catalogs as well as update their pre-existing information, in case the customer moves. Airflow Research receives dozens of new requests for catalogs each week and therefore, the new registrations are exported into multiple file formats for use by multiple parties throughout the company. This system also doubles as a mailing list as well, allowing sales staff to send newsletters and other special announcements to customers who've elected to receive such messages during sign up.
Chris Sperling of Airflow Research has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at csperling@airflowresearch.com or call him at 661-257-8124 ext. 104.
In my 8 years of working with web sites, I've had numerous occasions to experience various content management systems, ranging from one-off custom content management systems, expensive COTS systems, and all of the most popular open source applications. When it comes to my experience with the open source content management systems, I've found them lacking in numerous areas. Most notably, they typically limit design freedom, leaving a website creator responsible for reverse-engineering bloated template systems to create the look and feel desired.
I created my Grayscale Content Management System as a way to provide my clients a way to have a powerful, feature-rich, user-friendly, accessible website which is also very flexible from a design standpoint.
This website, for the Washington State-based Neapolitan Mastiff breeder, Bella Dolce Mastini, is another example of how vastly different web sites can look with my Grayscale Content Management System. This site makes use of most of the features of the CMS, including the one of a kind Pedigree Module. This site has been well-received in the Neapolitan Mastiff Community, including a great review on NeapolitanWorld.com
Shani Stewart-Robbins of Bella Dolce has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact her at bdolce@comtast.net
Rob Blanchfield, Jr. is a Severna Park, MD based attorney specializing in Estate Planning, Real Estate, and Small Business Law. Mr. Blanchfield hired me to produce a quick brochureware style site while we work on a new one which contains not only a new public side but also private areas for streamlining communication with clients.
Elegant City Homes combines a love and appreciation for historic row homes with a creative flair and impeccable craftsmanship to create an oasis in the city for today's homebuyer. The web site for Elegant City Homes is driven by a custom content management system which allows non-techy office staff to maintain listings of their homes. This same CMS also automatically generates Oodle feeds, Google Sitemaps, and photo galleries.
The Dallas-based D-Group provides graphic and web design services for a wide array of clients throughout Southwestern USA. I have been hired on numerous occasions to create custom web-based applications for integration into their clients' websites.
Danny Smith of D-Group has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at danny@thedgroup.com or 214-878-7333
The USNMC is the AKC Parent Club for the Neapolitan Mastiff breed. As a member of this club, I've also been enlisted to chair its Website Committee, overseeing the creation of the official club website and other special purpose sites for the club.
The official site for the United States Neapolitan Mastiff Club's National Specialty Show. This site was created to inform the club's members, as well as Neapolitan Mastiff afficionados about all the details regarding the annual National Specialty Show. This site uses Grayscale CMS to manage content. It contains a fairly typical configuration of the CMS, mostly revolving around the "General CMS" capabilities as well as a photo gallery, FAQs, guestbook, links, news, and mailing list.
For over a year, I was employed as E-Commerce Manager for NASA Federal Credit Union, a financial institution with over $650,000,000 in assets. In my role as E-Commerce Manager, I was responsible for overseeing everything the credit union did online.
Michelle Martin, former co-worker at NASA FCU and current eMarketing Manager has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact her at 410-768-4556
This site is for the use of the Credit Union's Select Employee Groups (SEGs). It is intended to provide aid to the SEG company's internal "Ambassador" in generating awareness of the Credit Union and its products and services. Working alongside fellow employees to determine the information architecture, layout, and general "look and feel", I then performed the complete production of the site. This site uses a hybrid layout with tables styled with CSS. Each page is valid HTML 4.01 Transitional and meets or exceeds Section 508 standards for accessibility. On March 11, 2004 this site won the CUES Diamond Award for E-Marketing.
Green Living Updates uses Grayscale Content Management System to function as a news aggregator - pulling stories from dozens of other environmentally-conscious websites to function as a single resource where users can keep abreast of green living news, policy, politics, and information on sustainable living.
Full design and development of brochureware website for Precision Chassis, maker of racecar chassis, primarily for drag racing. This site uses a tables/CSS hybrid approach, meets-or-exceeds Section 508 standards and is fully valid XHTML and CSS.
Doug Kline of Precision Chassis has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at pc1@enter.net or call him at 610-921-5768.
Founded in 2001 by America Online, Cisco Systems and Yahoo!, Network for Good is an independent 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Bethesda, MD. Since its inception in November 2001, more than 430,000 people have donated more than $125 million to over 25,000 charities through Network for Good. Another 232,555 people have found volunteer opportunities through Network for Good. Network for Good has also helped more than 6,000 nonprofits raise funds, cultivate donors and recruit volunteers through its online tools.
As subcontractor for Baltimore-based NoInc, I was hired to assemble a variety of different pages and page elements to be used by the end-client, who will be creating the final pages via a COTS content management system. Criteria for the site is that it be functional in all version 4+ browsers and meet-or-exceed Section 508 standards. This site uses a hybrid tables & CSS method for presentation, with a minimal use of HTML's presentational elements/ attributes, in favor of CSS. NOTE: My version of the site is not yet live.
Founded in 1947, UMUC offers a broad range of cutting-edge classes and has earned a global reputation for excellence. Headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, UMUC has classroom locations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Europe, and Asia, and provides award-winning online classes to students worldwide.
I was hired by UMUC to fix an online evaluation form for their telecast titled "Untangling the Web: Making Online Teaching and Learning Accessible". The original form had some problems which needed to be repaired in order to be made more accessible.
Georgetown Visitation, founded in 1799, is a college preparatory school dedicated to the education of young women from a variety of backgrounds.
I was hired on by Silverpoint, a local web design company, to perform the production of the website for this school's Parent's Association supplied PSD artwork files for the graphics. The site is functional across all platforms and browsers from Netscape 4 on up, and Internet Explorer 4 on up.
Located in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Cathedral School believes that students learn in an environment which encourages ownership of the learning process and which empahsizes the value of discovery.
On contract from Silverpoint, I was brought on to perform a site fix of this school's web site. The previous version of their site was made using frames and a show/ hide layers navigational setup that literally crashed Netscape ver.4.x. Stipulations for this project were that the site needed to look the exact same as it does, but eliminate frames, eliminate the show/ hide navigation and make the site function as intended in all platforms and browsers from Netscape 4 on up, and Internet Explorer 4 on up. This was accomplished by re-creating the graphics in some places and completely rewriting all HTML by hand.
What more of an endorsement is there for the quality of my work than to have a web company hire me to do the production on their site?
I was hired on by Silverpoint, a local web design company, to perform the production of their website using their supplied PSD artwork files for the graphics. The site is functional across all platforms and browsers from Netscape 4 on up, and Internet Explorer 4 on up.
Comments on this site from Angelo Otterbein, of Silverpoint:
"I am extremely happy with what you were able to put together, and Ed [project manager] speaks highly of your work ethic and tenaciousness. We've gotten a great response on the site and I've been checking out the site with good results on lots of browsers, so the hard work paid off. I will by all means give you a glowing recommendation for work you're pursuing elsewhere."
Las Vegas Extremes produces extreme motorcycle stunt racing videos appealing to sport bike fans worldwide.
I performed a "site fix" using existing graphics and layout. The customer built this site himself and was happy with the look and feel but wanted the site to be cross platform compatible. The original website produced very unpredictable display in some browsers. The markup for each page was gone through with a fine-tooth comb, as it contained a lot of deprecated markup and invalidly nested tags. The entire site now validates fully for HTML 4.01 Transitional contains numerous new dynamic features.
This site is the official site for the nation's largest rescue program for the Neapolitan Mastiff breed. I performed all design and layout tasks for this site and administer it completely, including mailing list administration and an extranet for Rescue Volunteers which contains numerous tools for the management and processing of adoption applications.
American Chevelle Enthusiasts Society is one of the largest car clubs in the United States. Lead by President Chuck Hanson (former host of Horsepower TV), ACES has a loyal member base numbering in the thousands.
I was hired by ACES to create an online membership and renewal application. Chuck Hanson's words speak volumes:
"Comparing last year's new memberships month-to-month to this year's results, we are seeing about a 19% increase overall. Of course member attrition is always a concern for any organization like ours, and we are also enjoying a higher rate of retention with existing members, trending towards about an 11% increase."
Chuck Hanson has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at acesprez@comtast.net
In addition to my work above, I am also a part-time instructor at Advantage Internet Marketing, a design & development shop in Carroll County, MD which also operates a computer school. At Advantage, I developed a brand new Web Accessibility course from the ground up and have instructed numerous sessions of that class. In fact, some of my students have been computer science teachers at area colleges. In addition to the Web Accessibility course, I also revamped their course in Cascading Style Sheets and teach that as well.
Jon Allen of Advantage Internet Marketing has agreed to provide references for me to anyone who asks. Feel free to contact him at jon@advantageim.com or 410-549-4737
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