AI-assisted Poster Art

A poster for the 2024 eclipse. The background image is modified from something I made with Google’s AI-powered image generation tool.  A note on the AI aspect of this: for the last few months I've used a set of similar prompts as a sort of homemade benchmark for the tools from Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI.  This is one of the resulting images that I especially liked.

Process Flowcharts for Food Ordering Systems

I created complete workflows for users and admins for two food ordering systems: a text-based system and a no-code system. The flowcharts shown here are for the text-based system.  All were created to compare capabilities/limitations and to development cost estimates/run rates between these two and a custom web app option. (Off-the-shelf systems were also considered but didn't have the right features.)

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The no-code option won out even though it had fewer capabilities, mainly because its short-term and long-term costs were significantly lower.  After we decided on the no-code option, I implemented it by:

• Making the Google survey and connected tracking spreadsheet
• Managing the transition off the old system  
• Training those that have kept the new system running ever since 

Org Chart Management Module

Detailed specs and interactive wireframe of interface that allows for at-a-glance review and easy updating of supervisor-supervisee relationships as well as drilldown to check on profile details of any individual.  This module has hooks into many other back end modules (profiles, time/expense allocations, etc).

All in all, another management tool customized to fit the unique needs of Novatek, built with Novatek-standard interface elements; touch-friendly parts/features that are either standard implementations or straightforward extensions of the existing code framework (reporting, search, action panels, etc.).

(As with other proprietary items, the copyright of the component images belongs to Novatek and the mockups pictured are intentionally shown at a size that obscures all the good stuff, alas.)

Novatek Capabilities Report

Copyright for this image belongs to Novatek.

A hybrid technical report and marketing booklet focused on the company's capabilities.  This started as a set of eight .pdf pages focused on existing and planned drill testing facilities, but it has since tripled in size to cover different production, R&D, and other areas.

The report also grew into a top-level page featured in the main navigation bar of the company website.  The image to the right shows a screen grab of the page, which I designed.

I was in charge of collecting all information and graphics, writing and editing copy, and producing, posting, and printing the final digital and print versions.

As shown in the graphic, the print versions were produced with formatting that took advantage of the medium by using mirrored layouts for facing pages.

Web Graphics for Novatek, Inc.

I started working for Novatek in June of 2010 doing engineering research and analysis.  In September I was internally recruited/promoted into the Information Systems department.  One of my first assignments involved prepping for a soon-to-launch website redesign.  The majority of the effort was focused on updating dozens of placeholder images, but there was also a fair deal of copy work (production and editing), and even some tweaking of the site design.

All of the material is available on the site itself, so clicking on the image set below will take you directly to the Novatek domain.  Note that I did not take the pictures or do the rendering or the modeling – what I did was sort through the available images, pick the best ones, improve them as needed, and then give all the different labs and projects a consistent look.  Note also that Novatek owns the copyright for these images.

This Site

After deciding that an online portfolio was a must,  I sketched out my ideal all-singing all-dancing solution, but realized that it was beyond my programming capacity and well beyond my budget.  I also researched the ready-made template options without finding any that fit my needs.

So I've done the next best thing by customizing an existing template.   Some of the adaptations in place or planned:

• Many modifications to the standard layout and CSS.
• Hosting at a custom domain.
• Live header links allowing for sorting by topic.
• Google Docs integration (here).
• Google Analytics integration.
• Customized version of Lightbox integration (planned).
• In-blog storefront with Google Checkout (planned).

First, second, and third versions of the header graphic (colors and copyright date updated each January).

BYU School of Technology Web Design

From March 2000 to November 2002, I was the webmaster for the School of Technology and for the School's Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) program.  My work as the MET webmaster continued on to August 2003.

This was a part-time work-study position that involved independent webpage authoring and maintenance, including the production and editing of content on my own and extensive work with professors and teaching assistants to create and maintain individual class websites.

The sample images to the right represent only a tiny percentage of what I did over my three-and-a-half years as webmaster.  Shown are two samples each of the home pages for the School of Technology and the MET program.  I was also responsible for most of the sub-domains shown on these home pages (i.e. the faculty profile pages, the facilities overview pages, the news pages, etc.).

Most of the content and structure I developed for the MET program has been replaced, but it was all intact through late 2006, which means that it had a very long life for web content.

More to Come

The above items do not tell nearly the whole story.  I'll continue to add posts about past, present, and future projects, and as I do there will be many more examples of all my different work.

My goal is to post once every week or so, so keep that in mind as you decide how often you come back to look for updates.  (Or just subscribe to the RSS feed for my site - some browsers can do this automatically, if you don't already use another service.)