Ryan R. Smith, UI/UX Developer and Usability Technologist in Columbus, WI

About

Ryan R. Smith specializes in web standards compliant web design, usability, interaction design, information architecture, search engine optimization, graphic design, and rich user experiences.

Ryan's specialties: Building user interfaces for web sites and applications with Drupal (an open source software package that functions equally well as a PHP and JavaScript-based application framework as well as a content management system - see also: http://drupal.org), user-centered design, user experience, print and web graphic design, interaction design, communicating with screen-based prototype sites, wireframe and page flow diagrams, whiteboarding, information architecture, web standards, CSS, HTML, usability, search engine optimization (SEO), rich user experiences (RIA systems), centralized and distributed team environments, agile project management, open source methodologies (tools, applications and community), GoogleMaps and web-based cartography, web-based software-as-a-solution (SaaS) systems and mapping return on investment (ROI) with web-based analytics.

Ryan is also always staying abreast of new and upcoming web technologies. These days it seems to be all about educating stakeholders about exactly what "responsive web design" means and how having a "responsive website" does not mean having a "mobile ready website" nor a "mobile friendly website" nor even a "usable website on a mobile device". Ryan is looking forward to fully embracing the mobile-first aspect of designing & developing online services & systems for real people.

Education

Pre-conference Drupal Features workshop

DrupalCon Denver

2011 - 2011
Audit - Intro & Advanced Ruby on Rails courses

Madison Area Technical College

2006 - 2007
Bachelor's Degree-Fine Arts-Graphic Design Multimedia Communication

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

1997 - 2001
HS Diploma General Studies

Antioch Community High School

1993 - 1997

Experience

UX/UI Developer

Farwell Project Advisors

Madison, WI

Jan 2015 - Feb 2017 (2 years 1 month)

• Work with clients to develop their visions from site maps through wireframes and HTML prototypes
• Iterate through agile backlogs of user stories, estimate work, and track progress through weekly burndown reports
• Visualize application interfaces as style guides
• Create high-fidelity mockups, collaborate and re-work prototypes based on team feedback, and showcase designs with clients
• Analyze user requirements, select appropriate content management systems, and implement approved designs as CMS templates
• Maintain CMS codebases via Git and code reviews via GitHub
Project Manger and Front-end Developer

Acumium

Madison, WI

Jan 2014 - Nov 2014 (10 months)

• Facilitate and maintain a hybrid approach to project management for 2 development teams, split by platform, of 6 members each
• Incorporate both Agile and Kanban methodologies while tracking KPIs (key performance indicators) and velocities for both dev teams
• Work with both internal and client-based development teams to identify, estimate, plan, and schedule work distilled into epics, feature groups, tasks, and subtasks
• Divide timelines for multiple projects into weekly sprints allowing for consistent, history-driven estimation, and team member commitments
• Forecast and dovetail overlapping delivery dates for several projects communicating successes (or unforeseen setbacks) to clients
Web Designer / Developer

Diesel Forward

Windsor, WI

Jan 2011 - Sep 2013 (2 years 8 months)

• Design Photoshop layout comps then covert into slim, accurate, fast-loading Drupal 6 and 7 themes, views, and PHP templates
• Collaborate with internal clients and development team members to maintain company’s high-profile, branded web sites
• Migrate company’s Drupal web hosting to Acquia Dev Cloud
• Utilize agile methodologies and SaaS sites like GitHub, Workfront (AtTask), and Basecamp to manage projects, track code revisions, delegate issues or tasks
• Respond to support system tickets and work directly with customers to resolve issues and document solutions
Digital Media Consultant

Diesel Injection Service, Inc

Windsor, WI

Nov 2010 - Jan 2011 (2 months)

Developed catalog template system for Diesel Forward's Alliant Power brand using Adobe InDesign and EmSoftware's EmCatalog/EmData plug-ins. This system was then used to automate the near-constant flow & re-flow process of product data, product images as well as keeping track of page numbering in terms of table of contents, sectioning, index and cross-reference throughout the catalog production process.

With the above system in place, Alliant Power went from manually producing a 28-page catalog in 6-months and completely transformed this into auto-producing a 96-page catalog in less than a week!
User Experience Designer

Ratio Switch LLC

Sun Prairie, WI

Jan 2000 - Dec 2010 (10 years 11 months)

• Implement open source CMS applications on Drupal and WordPress CMS software and serve via reseller web hosting service
• Distill client goals into functional yet beautiful web sites
• Facilitate interactive feedback loops, incorporate user research and translate business requirements into user-friendly interfaces
• Close the gap between complexity and flexibility, clarity and aesthetic to foster more efficient client-to-designer communication
User Interface Design Consultant

Connecture

Waukesha, WI

Jun 2010 - Oct 2010 (4 months)

• Listen to and understand customer needs and translate them within an agile development environment to optimize project timelines
• Identify discrepancies between project specs and user requirements; communicate revisions based on best practices and accessibility standards
• Map-out user interaction sequences, document UX guidelines, and establish UI style guides as deliverables
• Develop content strategies and employ user-centered design best practices to ensure team-wide consistency
• Iterate through low-fidelity wireframes, high-fidelity mock-ups on to functional HTML/CSS/JS prototypes
UXD Consultant for CCAP - Wisconsin Supreme Court

CCAP via Smart Solutions, Inc.

Madison, WI

Jan 2010 - Jun 2010 (5 months)

Usability consultant at Smart Solutions ... making bad ideas much-less so.
Front-end Web Developer

LeMans Corporation

Janesville, WI

Jun 2008 - May 2009 (11 months)

As a Front-end Web Developer at LeMans Corp (Parts-Unlimited) I was part of a small but efficient team of developers responsible for managing the online presence of national motorsports brands, their internal web applications, and "house" brands. Specifically, I worked on converting Photoshop designs, business requirements, observations, client-feedback and tight, marketing-driven deadlines into slim, accurate, fast-loading web sites. Social development team collaboration and constant communication with client teams were crucial components to maintaining the high-level of quality and success these web assets demanded.
Usability Consultant & Front-end Developer

Human Factors International

Fairfield, IA

Feb 2006 - Sep 2008 (2 years 7 months)

Stayed in constant connection with HFI via email, chat, WebEx, and phone with team members 2, 4, and 5 time zones away (10-20 hours) while maintaining project clarity. I dove into designing storyboards, analyzing business requirements, and sifting through the noise of multi-threaded emails to product quick, HTML/JS/CSS prototypes for client review. HFI continues to utilize me when needed.
Interaction Designer

Metavante

Milwaukee, WI

Mar 2008 - Jun 2008 (3 months)

At Metavante I was part of a world-class interaction design team speaking the language of web-standards and usability by building user-centered experiences for enterprise-class web applications.
User Experience Designer

Ratio Switch LLC

Sun Prairie, WI

Jan 2000 - Mar 2008 (8 years 2 months)

Ratio Switch was a small design studio focused on building brand identities and related design collateral, producing simple, functional, web-standards-compliant, accessible and CMS-driven (Drupal and Wordpress) websites as well as setting up web hosting, email marketing campaigns (both connected to Google Analytics) all for local, small businesses.
Senior User Experience Designer

Networked Insights

Madison, WI

Jun 2007 - Jan 2008 (7 months)

As a Senior User Experience Designer, I not only designed user interfaces for Web 2.0 customer interaction networks but also incorporated them into the company's rich internet applications (RIA) technologies which, considered by some, to reach into the Web 3.0 realm.
Usability Consultant

American Family Insurance

Madison, WI

Jun 2006 - Jun 2007 (1 year)

• Identify and develop new user-centered design patterns for use within company’s web applications
• Work with team members in producing corporate UI style guides and UX standards
• Write user testing scenarios, build application prototypes, and record user testing sessions
• Participate in face-to-face user testing sessions using paper prototypes to video and eye-tracking tests
• Collaborate with business team members to implement user research-backed style guides and standards across web and desktop applications
Graphic / Web Designer

Trek Bicycle Corporation

Waterloo, WI

Apr 2002 - Jun 2006 (4 years 2 months)

• Strive for ROI with web standards-compliant web sites, and search engine optimization
• Create site maps, IA guidelines, and deliver page flow diagrams for international content to extend reach of Trek's product lines
• Write HTML/CSS templates, develop multimedia modules, tie in multilingual content
• Implement and maintain a common CMS across 4 separate Trek consumer web sites

Awards

Macromedia/Adobe Site of the Day award winner (Klein Bikes website).

Affiliations

A11yProject.com (active contributor), Drupal Association member, MadDUG (Drupal Users Group) member, IXdA member, MadJS (JavaScript) member and MadRailers member.

Industries

Skills

Elsewhere on the Web

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On Coroflot

@webuxr, member since 2006

Followers 3

Ryan R. Smith

Assistant Professor - Educator, Communication Design, Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design

Systems Administrator, Visible Futures Lab (VFL)