Brett Pollett, Developer in Tempe, AZ, United States
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Brett Pollett

Verified Expert  in Engineering

User Experience (UX) Developer

Tempe, AZ, United States

Toptal member since August 25, 2016

Bio

User experience is not just another buzzword to Brett. It fuels every aspect of his life. He can't help but dissect the world around him to find new ways in which he could put it back together to improve it. He is always looking for new ways to make things more intuitive or easy to use.

Portfolio

Dark House Development
WordPress, Mailchimp, Act-On, Pardot, Eloqua, Marketo, LAMP, jQuery, JavaScript...
Bigfish Creative Group
WordPress, Mailchimp, Act-On, Pardot, Eloqua, Marketo, LAMP, jQuery, JavaScript...
Jawa
Google Analytics, LAMP, Adobe Photoshop, Landing Pages, jQuery, JavaScript, CSS...

Experience

  • WordPress - 10 years
  • jQuery - 10 years
  • JavaScript - 10 years
  • User Experience (UX) - 6 years
  • Responsive Web Design (RWD) - 5 years
  • HTML5 - 4 years
  • CSS3 - 3 years
  • SCSS - 3 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

WordPress, jQuery, JavaScript, PHP, Subversion (SVN), Git, Coda

The most amazing...

...thing I've created was an internal project management software that featured tasks, workflows, and custom project PDF generation in PHP.

Work Experience

Owner/UX Developer

2016 - PRESENT
Dark House Development
  • Migrated a client's WordPress site from an old and outdated template to a new responsive template.
  • Developed weekly responsive email newsletters that are cross-platform compatible and implemented as MailChimp templates.
  • Developed a new WordPress website for a master plan community featured a custom built home search feature utilizing advanced custom fields with custom post types for home models and builders.
  • Developed a PHP form in a website running ModX that directly links the data into a CRM including the current page URL and other dynamic variables to track which version of the page was viewed.
  • Performed routine maintenance on multiple sites running WordPress, including additional pages and templates, theme modifications, feature additions, and other custom development needs.
  • Developed a user portal in WordPress allowing registered users of the site to login and download time-sensitive materials and allow admins to reach all of their users individually with user-specific assets.
  • Defined the overall user experience, layout, wireframes, and sitemaps for an enterprise-level site featuring over 75,000 pages and over 40 individual templates.
  • Developed HTML prototypes for an enterprise-level site featuring over 40 unique templates using a reusable kit that includes files based on atomic design principles.
  • Developed an HTML-based style guide broken down into individual components featuring visual examples as well as code snippets that could be previewed and duplicated easily in templates.
  • Converted static PHP landing pages into custom WordPress templates featuring easily editable fields and admin experiences using advanced custom fields.
Technologies: WordPress, Mailchimp, Act-On, Pardot, Eloqua, Marketo, LAMP, jQuery, JavaScript, HTML5, MySQL, PHP

Technology Director

2012 - 2016
Bigfish Creative Group
  • Developed over 40 websites per year using a combination of WordPress or hard-coded PHP-based websites.
  • Created wireframes and interactive prototypes for websites and web applications.
  • Created a custom project management tool in PHP that features login authentication, multiple user levels, task assignment, workflows, and a custom PDF generator.
  • Handled all client relation needs regarding development including email, phone, and in-person meetings and presentations.
  • Designed the user experience and developed the new site for the Fiesta Bowl in WordPress right before one of their biggest games ever in 2015 (www.fiestabowl.org).
  • Developed custom user portals for multiple sites in WordPress featuring user logins, profiles, asset management, calendars, and more.
  • Developed custom marketing automation campaigns and implemented them in many different softwares including Eloqua, Marketo, Pardot, and Act-On.
  • Completed certification in Eloqua to become a Certified Eloqua Product Master.
  • Developed and implemented lead scoring and lead nurture strategies in multiple marketing automation platforms.
  • Developed cross-platform responsive HTML emails.
  • Developed an interactive animated timeline for Pacific Life to go with a display campaign Bigfish created using Adobe Edge Animate and custom JavaScript animation on www.imaginelife.com.
  • Created the user experience, sitemaps, wireframes, and HTML prototypes for one of the largest HR organizations in the US, WorldatWork, to completely overhaul their website containing over 75,000 pages.
  • Built a custom searchable real estate database in WordPress using Advanced Custom Fields and a custom search query that is now being utilized on 4 of the largest master plan communities in Arizona, Verrado, Marley Park, Eastmark, and Vistancia.
  • Built a custom product listing website featuring a custom search query as well as search filter options based on product features in WordPress.
  • Developed a custom mobile-first website framework for both static websites and WordPress themes utilizing the SUSY grid and Compass SCSS mix-ins.
  • Developed a tool that connects to the Instagram API and generates a personality based on your followers, following, and total posts data.
  • Migrated multiple WordPress sites between different server environments and hosting providers.
Technologies: WordPress, Mailchimp, Act-On, Pardot, Eloqua, Marketo, LAMP, jQuery, JavaScript, HTML5, MySQL, PHP

Creative Director/Usability Analyst

2007 - 2012
Jawa
  • Analyzed Google PPC and landing page conversions using real-time stats to launch multivariate tests.
  • Designed and developed more than twenty landing pages a week using Photoshop, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.
  • Worked on a custom-built PHP MVC framework to serve up multivariate tests on over 50 URLs at any given time using YML config files.
  • Used user experience and marketing analysis to refine landing pages to improve conversions.
  • Led a team of fifteen designers and developers.
  • Designed and developed a 12 screen animated video wall using HTML combined with CSS and JavaScript animations.
Technologies: Google Analytics, LAMP, Adobe Photoshop, Landing Pages, jQuery, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, PHP

Senior Graphic Designer

2004 - 2007
Anthem College Online
  • Designed online courses in Adobe Flash.
  • Wrote custom ActionScript.
  • Designed and developed an online interface to present an interactive classroom to students.
  • Led a team of 10 designers and developers.
  • Created Adobe Flash-based games, animations, and interactive elements.
Technologies: CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Flash ActionScript, Adobe Photoshop, Flash

The Healthy Mummy

I work on The Healthy Mummy's suite of sites offering them varying services ranging from template and theme frontend updates, to WooCommerce customizations and extensions, to custom plugin development and third-party integration with shipping partners. Recently we have also converted everything from their online store from the current Australia shop to a new UK shop as well.

Delta Coves

I consulted with the designer during the design phase of this project to influence the user experience of the site, and then once the designs were completed and approved by the client I developed a custom WordPress theme to bring the designs to life. I also built a custom WordPress Admin experience utilizing Advanced Custom Fields to make managing the site as simple as possible for my client. The site features a unique homepage navigation that myself and the designer came up with that really brings the navigation front and center when you arrive on the page.

Kukui'ula

I developed the Kukui'ula website as a custom WordPress theme based on designs that I also consulted on to lend my user experience knowledge to help shape the layouts and interactions on the site. This site features beautiful full-page video intro on the homepage and a custom implementation of the Isotope javascript library to display the different homes and homesites available for purchase at the property.

The backend admin experience for the website was customized with Advanced Custom Fields Pro to give the client a simple and accessible way to manage their website without every worrying about accidentally breaking the site when they update the content.

Leisure World Arizona

https://lwca.com
I built a suite of sites for Leisure World Arizona. This included their main marketing site, linked below, as well as custom sites for their Real Estate department, their golf course, and a special resident-only member website. All of the sites were designed to look like a branded family and share some design elements and layouts, with slightly altering color palettes using the same core set of brand colors.

The members website for their residents was built using the WP-Members plugin and featured a dynamic web calendar, built using Events Calendar Pro, and resident-only content and downloads.

Verrado.com

The first version of the site was built around the idea of using a lot of long-form scrolling pages and our user testing had found that a lot of people were not scrolling all the way down or using the jump links at the top of the page, so we decided this was the primary user experience change that had to be corrected.

We eliminated all long-form pages and instead went to a landing page approach that featured an image grid of all of the pages inside a main section of the site, but also incorporated drop-down navigation for people to be able to quickly jump between sections. We also redesigned the layout of all of the main interior pages and cleaned up the layouts of all of the other pages, including the home search results.

When analyzing the code from a couple years ago too, we realized there was a major performance increase we could get from rewriting the home search to be a completely custom search instead of relying on WordPress to filter the results. Rewriting this search functionality and adding in proper pagination lowered page load on this section from as high as ten seconds to below three seconds on average.

This website was built using a completely custom WordPress theme and Advanced Custom Fields.

FiestaBowl.org

https://fiestabowl.org
The Fiesta Bowl needed a new website that was responsive and modern to retire their outdated website on an unfamiliar CMS. They wanted us to redesign and rebuild their website in WordPress.

First, we implemented a UX strategy by completely reworking their current site map to make sure that the navigation for the site built a strong foundation. Then, based on that site map, we built wireframes and eventually a working HTML prototype of the new site.

After the site was completely redesigned based on the wireframes and prototypes, we built a custom WordPress theme based on the new design. This included creating multiple custom post types and using advanced custom fields to simplify the WordPress admin experience and ensure that the client could easily manage their site after the handoff. We also did a full walkthrough of the WordPress admin interface with the client at the time of handoff.

As a secondary addition to the site, we also built a members-only area on a subdomain, also utilizing WordPress, where the many members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee could log in and access all of the most recent documents and reports available.

ImageineLife.com

http://imaginelife.com
Pacific Life Insurance had a campaign running around the term "Imagine Life" that was targeted at multiple age groups to show them why life insurance is important for them at their current phase in life. They needed a microsite that could serve all of those different ad groups.

We built a custom microsite for them utilizing the creative assets and iconography from the existing ads. Our UX strategy on this project was to create a choose-your-own-adventure type of website with hints of gamification. We built a grid of icons at the top of the homepage highlighting all of the primary life milestones highlighted through the campaign that would jump users to the appropriate interior landing page catered to their current life situations.

On each of these milestone landing pages, we also featured a custom animated interactive timeline where users can navigate through all of the different milestones. We built the entire animation in Adobe Edge Animate which allowed us to utilize JavaScript, CSS animations, and transitions while also allowing the entire thing to be responsive, which wouldn't have been possible with outdated technology like Flash.

Vistancia.com

http://vistancia.com
Vistancia was unhappy with their outdated site and how limited their current CMS solution was so they came to us to redesign and develop them an all new website in WordPress.

We started with UX strategy and cleaned up a cluttered site map. We were able to also replace a lot of the unnecessary weight of the site map by replacing an outdated link-based navigation to view all of their home models with a brand new custom search feature and redesigned builder profile pages.

In order to rebuild the new Vistancia site, we had to create multiple custom post types and used Advanced Custom Fields to clean up the WordPress admin experience to make managing the many new features of the site simple and intuitive.

We also implemented a graphical sub-navigation system throughout the informational pages of the site to make jumping between different features of the community engaging and easy for users to find.
2003 - 2004

Associate of Science Degree in Graphic Design and Animation

High Tech Institute - Phoenix, AZ

JUNE 2013 - PRESENT

Eloqua Product Master

Eloqua University

Libraries/APIs

jQuery, jQuery UI, Susy

Tools

Adobe Photoshop, Coda 2, Pardot, Coda, Git, Subversion (SVN), Flash, Eloqua, Mailchimp, Google Analytics

Languages

HTML5, SCSS, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, CSS3, PHP, Flash ActionScript

Paradigms

Responsive, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Responsive Development, REST

Platforms

WordPress Theme Design, WordPress, WooCommerce, Marketo, MODx, LAMP, Act-On

Frameworks

ZURB Foundation, Bootstrap 3+, Compass, AngularJS

Storage

MySQLi, MySQL

Other

Email Marketing, User Experience (UX), HTML Email, Transmit, CodeKit, Mobile First, User Flows, Wireframing, Software Development, Front-end, Front-end Development, Marketing Strategy, User Interface (UI), Ajax, WordPress Multi-user, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Multisite, Landing Pages

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