Websites for Humans

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• Led the development and accessibility strategy for the ACEs Aware initiative website, coordinating between C-level stakeholders at the University of California ACEs Aware Network (UCAAN) and multiple departments within the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Directed comprehensive testing and engineering initiatives and personally tested and re-engineered complex codebase elements to ensure full WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance.
• This is a fully custom build, with a custom theme and custom plugins, utilizing ACF and WordPress hooks and actions. The theme is built using the Timber plugin, which facilitates an MVC-like approach in WordPress development and allows front end code to be written in Twig, separated from PHP logic.
• Spearheaded a data-driven homepage redesign and functional overhaul. By analyzing user behavior and reworking problematic legacy elements, I optimized the primary user journeys, successfully driving thousands of new practitioner training signups while transforming the interface into a clear, accessible experience.
• Owned the technical lifecycle on the Pantheon platform by engineering a custom CI/CD pipeline and directing cross-functional development teams through major site overhauls and high-impact feature releases.
• Instituted comprehensive digital governance frameworks to safeguard WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance, providing technical oversight for content teams and stakeholders to ensure all digital communications remained accessible.
• Directed internal and external teams in the large-scale reauthoring of legacy document libraries to meet accessibility mandates. Established and enforced rigorous authoring protocols to ensure all new PDF and digital assets were compliant from the point of creation.
• Systematically optimized the site's core vitals, successfully increasing the Lighthouse Performance score from 90 to 98. This involved refining asset delivery, reducing technical debt, and ensuring a lightning-fast experience for a high-volume audience. Implemented Redis object caching for performant experience and better resource utilization.
• By aligning the technical requirements of DHCS with the strategic vision of UCAAN, I delivered a high-performance, fully accessible platform that successfully serves as the digital backbone for California’s statewide ACEs screening and trauma-informed care initiative.

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• This is a fully custom build, with a custom theme and custom plugins, utilizing the newest features of the built-in Gutenberg Block Editor, and WordPress hooks and actions.
• I built the entire homepage of the site and many of the subpages throughout the site, including a page for each Core Service Area, the Explore Public Works page, and many more.
• I developed the custom theme for this site, and created prototypes and block editor templates (Patterns) for most elements throughout the site. I worked with the team on implementing Patterns into pages and assisted them in crafting new elements that fit in with the site's design using both custom coding and the tools in the block editor.
• I also custom coded the notice bar, the header/footer, the "Tell Us How We're Doing" survey popover, and all navigation menus and "on this page" menus throughout the site.
• Created a custom Flickity slider block, adapting the JavaScript library for use with the WordPress block system, and developing different styles for the homepage, subpages, and project pages.
• Developed numerous custom plugins for special elements, like the Road Closures block, which pulls syndicated data from Public Works APIs.

What you can't see:

• While some of the team had experience developing on other platforms, the team at LA County Department of Public Works had no prior experience working with the WordPress platform or building a large, complex site. They brought me on to develop major parts of the application, lead their team, and guide the development efforts.
• During the conceptualization and planning stages discussing how to combine a loosely confederated network of sites into a single monolithic presence, I was a major player in shaping the direction of the site. I attended all planning meetings and provided invaluable guidance on best practices, User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI), ensuring that the new site would provide a comprehensive and consistent experience.
• Full support for the Gutenberg block editor, including color palettes, block styles, and custom blocks.
• Clean, uncluttered WordPress Admin experience. Minimal dependence on external plugins and libraries. Easy to understand, well documented code base.

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• This is a fully custom build, with a custom theme and custom plugins, utilizing ACF, the built-in Gutenberg Block Editor, and WordPress hooks and actions.
• Try the custom Search/Translate bar in the upper-right corner of the site!
• The home page slider is a custom draggable slider with animated text and overlaid animated SVG buttons.
• The custom mega menu helps users navigate the wide body of content.
• I built a custom tour booking experience on top of WooCommerce Bookings' solid foundation.
• Take a look at the custom Facility Map.
• Play the Interactive Carts Game I redesigned and rebuilt! (Or scroll down to check out another project based on this game — Spot's Trash Match-Up, a fully realized version of the game with a leaderboard, login system, avatars, music, sound, and advanced gameplay.)
• Visual elements are always crisp and clean — I included vector assets and built elements with CSS whenever possible.
• I built this site in 2019. It still has a contemporary look and feel, and it still operates without any issues, seven years later.

What you can't see:

• Full support for the Gutenberg block editor, including color palettes, block styles, and custom blocks.
• Clean, uncluttered WordPress Admin experience. Minimal dependence on external plugins and libraries. Easy to understand, well documented code base.
• Sidebar navigation menus and landing pages are auto generated based on menu hierarchy.

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• I built the entire game. Everything is entirely custom, the game doesn't use any third-party gaming libraries except for a simple drag and drop JavaScript library.
• Try to get the high score! I built a full front end to allow users to create WordPress accounts and a polished leaderboard that allows players to see their high scores.
• Share your score! I built a share feature that appears after you complete a round of the game, allowing players to share a link that goes right to their score in the leaderboard.
• Make an account! Created a custom user panel that allows players to select an avatar and color. Developed a cookie system that allows players to set up an account later and claim their past high scores in the leaderboard.
• Log in to your account! Built a custom login system that works by sending a six digit code to the user's email. Users aren't asked to set a password and they can easily log in when the game is running on a kiosk at events.
• Enjoy the animation! I added custom interactive Lottie animations as part of the game. The time of day changes in the background. The animated mascot Greenie cheers you on during gameplay, and the animated avatars in the account configuration panel add a splash of personality to your character.
• Turn on the sound! I selected and mixed sound effects and music for the game and even modified the pitch of the sound at the end to match the music.

What you can't see:

• I built a solid back end to the game, so admins can easily manage it using WordPress. It's easy to add/remove items and manage users and scores.

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• I developed unique functionality and styling for the site, deeply customizing the code of the theme using Shopify's Liquid templating system as well as custom JavaScript and CSS.
• This e-commerce site has a totally custom look and feel that draws heavily from the styling of the book itself, while featuring Shopify's familiar and straightforward checkout process.
• The book includes 3 CDs of recordings created with the guitars in the collection. Rather than use Shopify's expensive apps to demo the audio, I simply created a SoundCloud account and playlist for the book and embedded it into the Shopify page, providing an excellent playback experience for users and allowing the tracks to be easily edited by admins and shared via social media.

What you can't see:

• Minimal dependence on third party apps and libraries.
• Clean, well documented code based on a first party Shopify theme that should see a long support life.
• No additional monthly or per-transaction fees beyond Shopify's base charges.