My work as an independent web designer, artist, and writer is the product of my extensive experience with computerized and online media and my diverse background in art, writing, research, and advertising.

My experience with computers and the internet extends back to the early1980s. I took college courses in two of the hot programming languages of the day, Basic and Pascal (!), and while I worked onsite at a Navy base, I administered test runs of an experimental, computerized version of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and ran computerized statistical programs; hung out on UseNet Newsgroups; and used Gopher for online research before the World Wide Web (as we know it today) existed.

I began developing websites in 1995, and I've worked full-time in the interactive industry since 1998. There were no formal training programs for web development when I got into the business, so I learned by working in the trenches as a developer, doing everything from hand-coding Active Server Pages in VBScript for BarnesandNoble.com to designing and building 15-20 small business and nonprofit web sites soup to nuts. Marketing and advertising are favorite subjects of mine. In my free time I enjoy reading books about advertising and research approaches and historical trends in marketing and advertising. Meanwhile, I have found my true passion in "user experience" in the work I have done all along as an information architect and technical writer. I absolutely love finding out what users need, designing interactions to meet those needs, and writing white papers and specification documents to ensure those needs are met.

My graphic design experience extends back to my childhood passion for drawing. I went to college on two art scholarships and, over the years, my portfolio of artwork has grown to include works in pencil, India ink, and acrylics, as well as digital graphics. I now also apply my talents to web design and print design (brochures, invitations, CD artwork, business cards, etc.) as well as some experiments with Flash.

Finally, my academic background is probably what most clearly sets me apart from others in my line of work. I possess a bachelor's degree in psychology, and doctorate and master's degrees in English; I have published an impressive body of scholarly journal and book articles, and have presented many scholarly conference papers. I also taught college research and writing from 1988 to 1998. (For more information, please refer to my resume page).

Information Architects (and Interacton Designers) are often classified as coming from visual design, writing, tech, project management, or library science. I come from none of these backgrounds . . . but at the same time all of them. (If you're wondering about the "library science" part, I taught college research writing for ten years and taught my students how to use libraries, and this experience stokes my deep interest in search tools and taxonomies.) Working in the interactive industry, my academic and real world experiences allow me to offer my clients 360° solutions.

I most enjoy projects that allow me to learn about users' needs and design solutions to meet those needs. It's even more fun when complex business requirements create a challenge.