About

Me

I have worked as a web designer and front-end developer since 2010. I became interested in web development while working for Boeing's Usability Services group, but quickly discovered that designing and conducting user studies wasn't satisfying enough for me–I wanted to actually build the site.

Since then, I have worked on a variety of projects ranging from an intranet search engine to eCommerce. I always strive to keep a pulse on the modern trends of web development, both to deliver the best possible experience for users as well as to make life easier as a developer.

I live in Idaho Falls, ID with my wife and three kids. I enjoy exercising every day, doing home improvement projects, and spending quality time with my family.

This site

Jekyll + Github Pages

I decided to use a static HTML generator as the framework for this site. Github pages provides a robust set of tools for automatically building a project built in Jekyll, and it works perfectly for something static, like a portfolio.

I have used static generators like Jekyll, Hyde, and Wok for years now when working on sites with static content. They provide the ability to reuse components, build macros, and do other things that make a site much easier to maintain. As I have gained experience with these frameworks, it has become easier to pick up server-side frameworks that are built in a very similar fashion.

Bootstrap

I ♥ Bootstrap. I have used Bootstrap on nearly every project I have worked on since version 2, and it has been great to work with. While I've mostly seen it used in the wild for quick-and-dirty documentation sites, I have used it almost exclusively as a starting point for creating custom designs.

The approach I typically take to creating custom designs with Bootstrap is to add override SCSS files which are compiled into a single stylesheet. This approach has worked out very nicely, and ensures that I can update the core Bootstrap files when I want to upgrade to a newer version.