mikol@thinbox.org | Mikol Graves | +1-415-412-4854

Veteran User Experience Professional and
Browser-Based Application Developer

Last modified Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:29:19 -0700

I've been designing, prototyping, and developing software for consumer, enterprise, and personal applications since 1995. I have a solid understanding of human-computer interaction conventions, aesthetic principles, web technologies, and W3C standards, with a special emphasis on cross-browser development.

My greatest asset is the range of skills that I can apply to a problem—from strategy and scoping, to interaction design and application architecture, to programming and visual polish. I'm deeply interested in all of these areas, and I strive to be fluent in each of them.

Whether I'm writing a functional specification, designing a user interface, developing an application, refactoring code, or reviewing my coworkers' contributions, I value simple, clear, and effective communication.

In my experience, software is only as complicated as we make it, and the best way to manage complexity is to stay focused on what users need. I try to concentrate on straightforward, self-contained solutions. They're easier to understand, design, develop, maintain, enhance, and use.

Employment History

Google Inc.
Since April, 2010
VMware, Inc.
May, 2000 - March, 2010
Netscape Communications Corporation
December, 1997 - May, 2000
Lucent, Apple, and Georgia Tech
Before December, 1997

Skills

Excellent
AJAX, CSS, DOM, HTML/XHTML, Interaction Design, JSON, JavaScript/EcmaScript
Very Good
Perl, Technical Communication, Visual Design
Good
Audio Engineering, Object-Oriented Design, PHP, Sound Design
Practical
Apache, Apple Macintosh, CGI, CVS, Drupal, GNU/Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat), Microsoft Windows, mod_perl, Perforce, Shell Scripting, XML, XPATH, XSLT
Basic
C/C++, Flex/MXML/ActionScript, IIS, Java, MySQL, Objective-C, Python, REST, SOAP, Vala

Education

Master of Science in Information Design and Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997
Bachelor of University Studies, Magna Cum Laude
University of New Mexico, 1995