Alex Murray

Alex Murray
15/8/1975
Australian Citizen
Phone:
Email:

Summary

As a client-side web developer, I’ve worked in a wide range of problem domains including graphics programming, arbitrary-precision arithmetic, probability calculation, video streaming, simulation, and data visualisation. This has provided me with a wide range of perspectives to draw on when formulating solutions to new problems. I have excellent technical skills in client-side development, excellent communication skills and significant design, UX and copywriting experience.

Skills

• Highly proficient in client-side Javascript, particularly low-level development; familiarity with core HTML5 technologies (canvas, localStorage, audio).
• Extensive experience with Typescript, Knockout.js and BigDecimal.
• Highly proficient in hand-coding cross-platform HTML and CSS.
• Experience with source control (using GIT).
• Substantial mentoring experience.
• Two years' experience managing small teams of design and development personnel on projects ranging from single advertising campaigns to entire websites.
• Specification and documentation writing experience (for a range of audiences); experience liaising with third-party developers.
• Considerable interaction design experience.
• Highly proficient in Flash AS3 development; considerable AS2 experience.
• Highly proficient in the use of Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and others.
• Moderate copywriting experience for advertising and software interfaces.
• Accustomed to working under Windows and OS X operating environments; some familiarity with UNIX.
• Moderately fluent in Japanese.

Positions Held

Senior Developer

Cengage Learning - August 2012 to present

• Client-side development in Typescript, Javascript, HTML and CSS for web and iPad. Significant work with JQuery, Knockout.js and BigDecimal; graphical programming via the canvas element.
• Specification writing and documentation; liaison with third-party developers.
• Some Flash AS3 development.
• Significant projects undertaken include:

  • In-house content generation tools

    A number of single-page applications written in Typescript and using the Knockout and JQuery libraries that are used for structured data entry by non-technical staff. Significant features include a high degree of modularity and expansibility in the underlying code, and defensive coding around import routines to minimise data loss in the case of source file corruption.

  • iBooks widgets

    iBooks widgets are packaged collections of HTML, CSS and JavaScript resources that run in-place to provide interactive features in books published using the Apple iBooks Author application. These widgets constituted a key selling point of the commercial product, which is currently leading its class in the iBooks store. Technical highlights include hand-coded multi-touch support and arbitrary-precision arithmetic.

  • Interactive timeline

    An interactive applet designed to show timeline-based data, written in JavaScript, HTML and CSS for iPad; includes hand-coded gesture support. A standalone Javascript application to pregenerate (’bake’) widget HTML and Javascript was also written.

Senior Developer

rivusTV (now Spondo) - February 2010 to April 2012

• Client-side development in ActionScript 3, Javascript (including considerable work with JQuery), CSS, HTML for desktop and iPad.
• Interaction design for embeddable widgets and website-based services.
• Copywriting for website and widget interfaces.
• Graphic design for user interfaces; some corporate identity work.
• Significant projects undertaken include:

  • Media Player

    Developed and maintained the Media Player in Flash (Actionscript 3). The Media Player is a video playback widget that employs Akamai and Open Source Media Framework technology, written as an Object/View/Controller ActionScript 3 project; it implements prioprietary DRM rules and includes extensive UI to mediate interaction with end users. A full description is here.

  • Consumer Portal

    Undertook UI design, graphic design and wrote client-side code for consumer portal in HTML, CSS and Javascript. The consumer portal is a login-secured section of the main website created to support end users, and includes extensive UI enhancements, plus AJAX functionality where appropriate. A full description is here.

  • Quiz Player

    Undertook UI design, Javascript, HTML, and CSS coding for Quiz Player widget. The quiz player is an embeddable HTML-based widget that uses AJAX to play a video, ask questions at pre-determined points, and forward submitted answers to the database. A full description is here.

  • Quiz Editing Interface

    Undertook UI design, Javascript, HTML and CSS coding for quiz editing interface. The interface allows creation and editing of the quizzes displayed by the Quiz Player, and uses extensive AJAX to improve the user interface and experience. Full details are here.

  • Corporate identity update

    Updated the corporate identity graphic design.

Various freelance assignments; clients include Visual Jazz, Clemenger BBDO and Blaze Advertising among others.

June 2008 to February 2010

• Flash development (Actionscript 2).
• JavaScript development, including jQuery.
• HTML and CSS production work.

Interactive Designer, then Creative Director (March 2005 onwards)

Nitro PDF Software (software development company) - nitropdf.com
November 2002 to October 2007

• Design of corporate identity and production of related assets.
• Website design, construction and maintenance.
• Client-side web development (Javascript and Flash).
• Illustration.
• Packaging design and production.
• Project management (small multi-discplinary teams, projects ranging from ad campaigns to whole websites)
• User interface design for both software and websites.

Web Designer

CitySearch Directories (search engine) - citysearch.com.au
September 2001 to October 2001

• Website design and production undertaken using Photoshop and proprietary software.

Web Integrator

DDSN Interactive (web development company) - ddsn.com
July 2000 to December 2000

• Photoshop, Flash and HTML production work.
• HTML and Flash design work.

Graphic Designer

Pieno Corp (fashion retailer) - pienocorp.com (now offline)
November 1996 to May 2000

• Design of corporate identity and production of all corporate graphical materials (stationery, advertising, website and so on.
• Copywriting for advertising.

Educational Qualifications

1994 to 1999
Bachelor of Arts /
Bachelor of Science
Monash University Clayton campus

Major studies in Computer Science, Chinese and Japanese.
Minor studies in Chemistry, Philosophy.

1988 to 1993
Victorian Certificate of Education
Camberwell High School

Personal Interests

Photography (landscape particularly)
Badminton

References

Andre Gulbis
Senior Multimedia Developer, Cengage Learning
Level 7, 80 Dorcas Street
South Melbourne 3205
Telephone :
Email :

Paul Evans
CTO, rivusTV
709/198 Harbor Esplanade
Docklands 3008
Telephone :
Email :

Folio

A selection of recent work is available for review in the folio section of this website.