26 Jul 2008
While working at Web Support Services, I was charged with leading the redesign of our group’s website. Our main interest in the redesign was changing from a flat HTML website to a CMS. By leveraging the strengths of Drupal, CCK and Views, we were able to build a website which increases the maintainability of our site. No longer do we have to edit the HTML to add a Portfolio, just create a new Portfolio entry. Same thing goes for developers: when a new developer joins the team, just add a Developer entry.
The other large feature we added was client portal pages. Instead of relying on e-mail for all of the files and links we send, we now have one page the client can access to see their status, where they are on the timeline, files they’ve contributed, files we’ve contributed, links to their pages and contact information for us.
26 Jul 2008
Hillel’s redesign was a challenge with such a dynamic organization. They needed several technologies to integrate into one seamless website. They already had Coppermine photo gallery, so that needed to be used. And we suggested that they use VT Calendar as an easy way to show upcoming events.
It also required the rethinking of how things were done. When we first took a look at the website, a lot of the code was poorly formed and invalid. There was also a large amount of superfluous JavaScript. We cleaned up the code and replaced the JavaScript with CSS.
26 Jul 2008
Trench Interactive is a company I started for a class project. We are a web services firm located in Blacksburg. More importantly this website gave me the chance to get my feet wet with sIFR, a technology I had not used before. It also gave me the chance to revisit some of the PHP skills I learned in a previous class.
26 Jul 2008
My first site built completely in Drupal was a challenge, but a good one. We designed, developed and delivered a website which allows the Corps of Cadets Alumni association to keep their alumni in touch with the campus and each other.
26 Jul 2008
WelGard®’s previous page was feeling busy and crowded, not the sort of image a business wants to portray. So, I sat down with the company and we worked out an interface that is cleaner. No longer overwhelming, users now have several easy choices that appeal to the products designed for them.
26 Jul 2008
I’m particularly proud of a bit of ingenuity that I had on this design. I used PHP in conjunction with CSS to make the menus much easier to maintain. Each page simply imports the menu and that file handles labeling the correct element with the ’current page’ class.
26 Jul 2008
My changes improved the maintainability through the conversion of image headers to pure css; adding various ’focus boxes’; and cleaning up of the home page.
RSS Feed