Resume / CV of Steven Woodson

👨 About Steve

Hi! 👋 I'm Steve, a CPACC certified Web Application Developer with over 20 years of industry experience creating clear, accessible, and straightforward digital products that put users first.

My background runs the spectrum from visually engaging promotions managing millions of entries to complex multi-tenant CMS integrations powering dozens of websites in multiple languages.

With a focus on accessibility, architecture, design systems, and performance, I'm dedicated to the pursuit of useful, usable, and delightful experiences.

Read more in my About page

🏢 Experience

👨‍💻 Skills

TL;DR

HTML

I always start with the solid foundation of semantic, accessible, and modern HTML markup. I then focus on progressive enhancement and graceful degredation while applying more complex application requirements and visual styles.

CSS

I incorporate fluid typography, responsive design, and design token best practices to build a resilient visual foundation. Utilizing many aspects of the SMACSS, BEM, and CUBE methodologies to ensure long term organization and maintainability.

JavaScript

I've stayed close to this underlying language that powers modern web applications, this foundational knowledge is vital to understanding the abstractions in modern JS frameworks allowing me to work to their strengths and get around their weaknesses

Design Systems

From a simple static site to a network of interconnected websites, design systems are vital to the scalability, maintainability, and consistency of the product.

I've worked with Storybook for web applications, have created custom living style guides embedded in CMS platforms, and even created a single "kitchen sink" static page to itemize and document the visual design.

JavaScript Frameworks

I've worked in Svelte, Vue, Angular, and React. I've built sites using Jamstack technologies including Eleventy (11ty), Astro, and Nuxt.

Perhaps more importantly, I know when these technologies are going to be a benefit and when they're going to lead to more complexity and technical debt than they're worth.

Backend Development

My whole career has included some work in a backend technology, I'm most comfortable with PHP and MySQL but have also worked with cloud platforms including AWS, Netlify, and Vercel.

Extensive recent experience with Laravel. Extensive experience with relational database architecture, and SQL query optimizations.

CMS Platforms

Working within a CMS platform is a complete paradigm shift, designers and developers are no longer fully responsible for what displays on a page. I ensure the code is modular, flexible, and resilient to ensure it looks consistent no matter what content is added.

I've worked in several CMS platforms, most recently including Drupal and WordPress. I also have experience with composable CMS platforms, and have used WordPress as one (including for this site!)

Design Fundamentals

While I don't consider myself a designer, I'm familiar with design principles and how to represent them in code. I agonize over fonts, spacing, and microinteractions right along with the design team. It's not done until we achieve that vision in an accessible, performant, and robust way.

I have experience in several design tools to bridge the gap between design and development. Recent experience with Adobe (XD, Illustrator, Photoshop), Affinity (Designer, Photo, Publisher), and Figma.

Client Interactions

As an agency consultant and now as a freelancer, I'm very comfortable managing client interactions including writing proposals, documentation, and agile ceremonies. The drumbeat that keeps me going is when communication, purpose, and goals are all clear.

Technical Leadership

I love writing code, but I also get satisfaction out of leading a team and providing solution architecture and mentorship.

🎓 Certifications