Résumé for Patrick Fitzgerald
Summary
Web application user interface designer / developer with extensive experience in web standards, accessibility, and internationalization. Exceptional technical writing and documentation skills. Detail-oriented and highly analytical. Quickly learns new programming languages, software, and technologies. Rare combination of creative, graphic design, and technical skills.
"Patrick is one of those fellows who knows what he knows....and isn't shy about getting that knowledge onto a website...he's a visionary in community field who has the added advantage of doing the hands-on work of it."
— Hope Dlugozima, VP, Membership, WebMD
"Pat makes me look better everyday. Smart, smart, smart and opinionated."
— Jeff Tidwell, Director User Experience, WebMD
"Pat managed multiple websites associated with my organization's internal and external presence. He has a master-level competence with several web and graphic authoring tools, is competent with Java, PHP, Perl and other script languages used in dynamic web pages. I highly recommend Pat for both his webpage/site authorship competence and his outstanding work ethics and performance."
— Mark Bell, Director, Internet Security Solutions Lab, Hewlett-Packard
Professional Experience
Trusted Network Technologies, 2006-Present
Senior Software Engineer - User Interface Specialist
Designed user interface for TNT Identity web application, including information architecture, wire frame mockups, and graphic design. Transitioned existing desktop application to a scalable web-based application using JavaScript, AJAX, and JSON technologies. Implemented all HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
WebMD Health Corp, 2004-2006
Development Manager - Syndication and Rich Media
Designed and implemented solutions for syndicating content via RSS and XML, displaying video and rich media applications, and publishing WebMD expert blogs. Became company-wide resource for web standards, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, community and social software, blogs, accessibility, and search-engine optimization.
- Enabled WebMD to become the health channel for major partners (Fox News, CBS News, TV Guide, EarthLink). Designed web application to create dynamic "mini-brands", then created the HTML/JavaScript front-end.
- Allowed diverse groups within WebMD to coordinate upcoming content and events by combining 15 disparate calendars into one web application. Designed and implemented all stages of the WebMD "master calendar" web application.
- 2005 Outstanding Achievement Award: "Pat Fitzgerald, our own hacker extraordinaire, has been instrumental in getting some of WebMD's newest technologies out the door"
- 2005 Q2 STAR Award: "to recognize and reward significant individual and team contributions towards meeting our divisional business objectives each quarter"
BarelyFitz Designs, 2003 - Present
Web Design Consultant, WebMD (2003-2004)
Designed and prototyped new information architecture for web site redesign. Wrote test procedures and performed user testing. Wrote design documents and style guides. Created database and web application for cataloging all online assets.
- Completed prototypes in aggressive six-month schedule
Webmaster, Skeptical Inquirer Magazine, (1994-Present)
Created and maintained web site and online store for non-profit science education organization. Worked remotely via email (from Atlanta, GA to Buffalo, NY).
- Received award: "Top Ten Science Web Site" from Home PC magazine
- Increased online subscriptions by 40% from 2000 to 2001 (from 1,455 to 2,042 orders)
Programmer, Open Source Web Applications
Developed JavaScript, Perl, and PHP web applications.
- Recommended by the books How to Set Up and Maintain a Web Site and Webmaster Expert Solutions
Hewlett-Packard Company, Atlanta, GA; 1996 - 2002
Software Design Engineer (Webmaster), Internet Security Division (1999-2002)
Designed, implemented, and maintained corporate web site for all HP security products, and internal web sites for HP security divisions and R&D projects. Wrote marketing copy and press materials and created graphics and animated banner advertisements. Worked independently with minimal supervision.
- Improved communication between distributed product development teams in California, Georgia, Bristol UK, and Bangalore India by developing a content management web application for R&D documents
- Coordinated internal communication with mailing lists, news archives, and news/events databases; searchable forums became a valuable resource for product sales and support
- Developed content publishing solution using Apache and object-oriented PHP code: over the course of three years, this increased my productivity and let me quickly update the site to comply with frequently-changing company standards
Software Design Engineer, Internet and System Security Lab (1996-1999)
Designed user interface for HP Virtualvault security software. Implemented web-based GUI as highly secure CGI programs written in C.
- Received award: Best General Security 1998/2000/2001 from Secure Computing magazine
- Internationalized HP Virtualvault code and coordinated localization team in Japan
Secureware Incorporated, Atlanta, GA; 1994 - 1996
Technical Writer
Wrote user documentation (printed and online help) for security products. Designed, implemented, and maintained the SecureWare corporate web site.
- Defined look-and-feel of products by designing logos, GUI icons, and marketing graphics
- Received promotion and substantial signing bonus when HP acquired SecureWare in 1996
Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL; 1990 - 1994
Senior Software Analyst (1992-1994)
Wrote utility programs (C and SQL) for relational database software product. Coordinated source code control and configuration management for team of 20 developers.
- Created distributed Perl scripts that, on a nightly basis, compiled, tested, and packaged the software simultaneously on multiple UNIX and Windows platforms
Senior Technical Writer (1990-1992)
Wrote documentation and on-line help for programmer API and end-user software.
- Improved department productivity by automating processes with Perl scripts and creating graphical user interfaces for common procedures
Education
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
B.S., Information and Computer Science
Certificate, Technical and Business Communication
Samples
Programming Samples
| JavaScript |
Tabber A very popular open-source JavaScript library for making tabbed interfaces from simple HTML. In the spirit of "eat your own dogfood", this resume page uses the tabber code. JavaScript Slideshow Filterlist Article: JavaScript
Syndication |
| PHP |
CSS Colors: Take Control Using PHP An article describing advanced CSS techniques using PHP. PHP Templating Class |
| Perl |
MailServ Web interface to several types of mailing list servers. Users can select commands, enter information, and press buttons to send email commands to the mail server. This is very old, written in the early 90's, but other than a dated interface it still works, has a few object-oriented type designs (from before Perl was object-oriented), and shows the level of detail I put into my code. |
Writing Samples
| Article: JavaScript Syndication | Example of the level of detail and thoroughness in my writing, plus some graphic design. |
| Programmer's Reference | As a programmer with excellent writing and investigative skills, I added details to the Intergraph XForms Programmer's Reference Manual that a less-experience writer might have missed. |
| User's Guide | Writing a large manual such as the SecureMail User's Guide required organizational and planning skills. |
Web Site Samples
| WebMD |
Much of my work at WebMD has been on internal web applications,
but I also created many of the advanced JavaScript-based tools on
the public site. Here is a small sample:
WebMD Health Video Library - a dynamic, searchable, categorized, search-engine optimized video archive created with HTML and JavaScript. WebMD Home Page - rotating package slideshow. |
| Skeptical Inquirer Magazine | I created the web site for Skeptical Inquirer magazine in 1994, and improved and maintaining it for over ten years. The site won numerous awards (Home PC Magazine, Top 10 Science Website) and was featured in the New York Times. Due to lack of time I am no longer working on this site. |
| Hewlett-Packard Company / Internet Security | I created and maintained the HP Internet security portal, with web sites for all HP and Compaq Internet security products. |
