Expert front-end engineer in standards-based development using HTML,, CSS, and JavaScript, microformats. Strong proponent of accessible web development built on WAI Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Experience building Yahoo-scale web applications and tools with PHP and MySQL on Apache.
Excellent with JavaScript frameworks, especially YUI, and a good working knowledge of JQuery.
Advocate and evangelist for emerging technologies such as HTML5, related APIs and CSS3.
Creative contributor to entire application development cycle; able to communicate ideas well.
Produces clear and accessible documentation for developers, and can communicate proactively with application users. Good instinct for tone in communication.
Good design eye, happiest in close collaboration with user experience designers. Comfortable web graphics skills working with Photoshop or (preferably) Fireworks.
Good working knowledge of typographic style.
Passion for good user interface and user experience design.
Once upon a time, built desktop apps on Windows in C# .NET.
I choose Mac OSX, Git, spaces not tabs, 78-columns, no top-posting, and Oxford commas.
Front-end engineer at the Yahoo Developer Network.
Engineering lead on Yahoo's WordPress work, responsible for integration with internal, proprietary systems and web services, responsible for the implementation and shipping of better developer blogging at Yahoo.
Major contributor to analysis, design and specification of a massive, long-term redevelopment project.
Author of various internal whitepapers and tools focused on information sharing and collaboration in an international enterprise of 13,000 co-workers.
Engineer on Fire Eagle.
Worked on application design, user experience and front end implementation of Friends on Fire; a Facebook application for sharing location. (HTML, CSS, JQuery, Facebook.)
Contributed to product planning for future Brickhouse projects.
Wrote the widely praised ‘ OAuth Best Practices’ documentation for using OAuth with Fire Eagle.
An active contributor to the successful microformats.org.
A summary of current active work is part of my microformats.org user page.
Worked as a sub-contractor implementing HTML & CSS designs, themes for CMS systems, wrote plugins for Wordpress (such as Anti-Link–Spam) using PHP.
Wrote the Twitgit Twitter widget for Mac OSX Dashboard (See Twitgit).
Hired as lead developer at ‘yobject’ start-up, trying to do mobile software distribution years before the App Store. Responsible for database design, system architecture, visual work and front-end implementation.
Industrial Experience Placement during university. Built content and document management applications for Windows and the web using C♯.NET.
Awarded Upper Second-Class Honours
Includes a final year software developer project (designed and engineered a personal document management application); awarded First Class grade.
Also includes 14-month software development internship; awarded First Class grade.
Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge (2000- 2002).
Computing, Mathematics, Government & Politics. Modern History (AS level).
Sawston Village College, Cambridgeshire (1995– 2000)
I cook, take photographs and periodically take up sketching. I play the guitar and indulge in live music. I write about technology and blog at benward.me, and about food at munchmun.ch.
Regular attendee at web technology conferences. Presenter at various Barcamps, Social Web Foocamp 2009, WebCamp 2008, BlogTalk 2008 and BBC Mashed.
References available upon request, and I have recommendations on LinkedIn.