Alan Bellows

Professional Objective

To hide software's complexity behind engaging, intuitive User Interfaces (UIs).

Summary

A User Interaction professional who has over eight years' experience condensing complex functionality down into straightforward, self-explanatory UIs. This work includes graphics design, web layout/programming, software usability, and general software development.

Relevant Skills

User Interaction Design	Creating UIs for dozens of commercial apps and websites for over 8 years Knowledgeable and proactive in Software Usability Setting/enforcing UI usability guidelines ADA-compliant web interfaces
Software Development	Advanced cross-browser Javascript development, including AJAX Interactive websites with Dynamic HTML/CSS Internet Explorer, Mozilla/Firefox/Netscape, Safari, and Opera XML/XSLT development Some Java, PHP and Perl/CGI experience
Business Graphics	Custom graphics for software and the web (logos, icons, etc.) Misc. business graphics (business cards, letterhead, CD labels) Raster and Vector illustrations
Technical Writing	Software development and usability guides Instruction manuals and company procedures
Personnel Management	2.5 years as a department supervisor Interviewing, hiring and training Performance appraisals and terminations
Project Management	Responsible for managing many successful projects involving multiple developers Capable of organizing resources to deliver projects on schedule

Experience

UI Consultant (Jan 1998 - Present)	Contract User Interface development for multiple clients Providing UI design, consulting, and support for applications and web-related projects Full web development services
Dynix/SirsiDynix (Oct 2000 - Present)	Designing the UI for new software, and documenting usability guidelines Creating UI graphics such as tabs, buttons, and icons Web interfaces using HTML, Javascript, and CSS Graphics for printed documentation Extensive XML/XSLT development Java/JSP web applications
Ovid Technologies (Jul 2000 - Oct 2000)	Web-based products in Perl (CGI) and Java (JSPs/Servlets) UI design for new web products Browser-based remote administration tools
Techserv Systems (Jan 1997 - May 2000)	Department Supervisor (Online Support) Interviewing of job applicants Developed complete web-based technical support system Technical manual authoring Conducted technical trainings Intranet/Knowledge Base development
Software Familiarity	Windows (all versions), OSX, Linux Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Some experience with Illustrator, Flash, and GIMP Scripting & automation (Perl, BeanShell, etc)

Unfortunately, most of my work from the previous year or so is protected by employer confidentiality, and contracted Non-Disclosure Agreements, so it cannot be included on a public website. However, if you contact me, I can make special arrangements to demonstrate these other samples.
	CurbDiver.com This site was developed for CurbDiver, a Utah company which brokers online auctions, much like an eBay store. The administrative-side of the site, which requires a login, is where the more complex functionality is contained. If you would like to see the administrative area to review its interaction design, please contact me.
	Kids iPac I designed this simple interface for a children's library searching product several years ago. The goal was to make the interface self-explanatory for kids, since the main interface was over-complicated and awkward. This link leads to my early concept mockup made up of a few sample pages.
	DamnInteresting.com This site was developed as a directory of interesting things, built on the open-source WordPress software. It was an Interaction Design experiment-in-progress, but it has grown so popular that it receives tens of thousands of hits per day, so I try to keep UI changes minimal to avoid disruption. Be sure to check out the menus, comment preview, and E-mail features (must be logged in for some stuff).
	Kyla Faye Website This is the homepage I developed for Kyla Faye Dickerson, who was Miss Utah in 2004. She is also a model and a vocalist, and she has made several TV and radio appearances, most notably appearing on ABC's The Bachelor in it's second season, and on Fear Factor in April of 2004. This site went live in mid-2003, but has since gone offline. This link is to my archived copy.
	AlanBellows.com This site is a partially completed proof-of-concept I developed for myself, to see if a background image could be animated in a browser to appealing effect. Once you're viewing the site, try selecting different themes from the drop-down selector in the top left corner.
	Brigliadore Farms This is a site I designed for Brigliadore Farms, which raises guinea pigs for animal competitions. This site uses somelightweight Ajax to keep load times down.
	Husdon Consulting This site was developed for Hudson Consulting, Inc in Salt Lake City, Utah. At their request, the site was designed to cater to high-bandwidth users, therefore it is very graphics-intensive. This site is still online at http://www.hudsonconsult.com, however it has since moved on to another webmaster, who has made some changes and introduced some Javascript errors, so this link leads to my archived copy.
	A+ Certification Study Site This site was a free resource which helped visitors to prepare for the CompTIA A+ Computer Technician exams. Unfortunately I don't have CGI set up on this web server, therefore many features cannot be demonstrated in this sample site.
	DataFaucet LLC This website never saw the light of day, but it was one of several concepts I developed for DataFaucet, a small website shop a friend and I ran about five years ago. Because it was just a conceptual illustration, the site is only roughed in, and is missing many parts (such as the Home page).

	NetBSD Logo Contest I designed this logo for the official NetBSD logo design competition.
	NetBSD Logo Contest 2 Another entry for the NetBSD logo design competition.
	Building of the Future Drawing of a retro-futuristic building.
	Documentation Icons I developed these icons for an employer's printed customer manuals, to indicate when a Tip, Warning, or New Material appeared in the text.
	Medium Icons A few of the medium-sized icons I created for a related set of applications.
	Small Icons A few of the small (16x16) icons I created for an application, to be used in toolbars, context menus, etc.
	Kid Space One of many sketches created in while prototyping the look-and-feel for a children's library product.
	Flying Book Another children's library product sketch.
	Mobster Sketch
	Communication An original cartoon entitled "Improving Your Communication Skills"
	She Loves Me Another original cartoon entitled "She Loves Me"
	Concerned

Photos section coming soon