About Mike

I've built a few front ends for web-based CMS applications for small teams, most notable being Blogsmith. This app powers some of the most popular blogs in the world, including Engadget, TMZ.com, and the entire Weblogs, Inc. network of blogs. I also work on the interface for Emurse.com. I love making interfaces -- solving unique problems that users might encounter, streamlining workflow, and making the act of using an app enjoyable and fun.

Key Info

Position Desired	Not Specified
Willing to Relocate	Not Specified
Commuting Distance	Not Specified
Acceptable Travel	Not Specified
U.S. Work Authorization	U.S. Citizen
Eligible for U.S. Security Clearance	Yes

Interview

Why did you choose this career? (02/21/2008)

I especially enjoy wearing many hats, and in the 8 years I\'ve been working on the web, I\'ve always done just that. Balancing the creative and technical sides seems to benefit the total result of your work.

What do you like most about your job? (04/12/2007)

The team. When you work with a great team, they push you to elevate your own skills, and the possibilities of what you can do seem boundless.

What are you most passionate about? (04/12/2007)

I'm most passionate about bringing quality, vision, and reality together. It used to be "just" about design for design's sake, but what excites me now is making great design that people really love to use.

What are your strengths? Weaknesses? (02/05/2007)

My strengths are speed, versatility, and at times the most important, the ability to justify myself. As a designer, no decision should be arbitrary. My biggest weakness early in my career was being stubborn, and I probably hold on to a bit of that still. It's a conundrum with design: you should feel strongly about your idea and execution, otherwise it's not going to come out very well at all. On the other hand, you have to be willing to bend, flex, and change based on the needs of your users and clients. So I've been steadily trying to improve on that, and I think it's made me a better designer.

How would your co-workers describe you? (02/05/2007)

Versatile. If you throw a challenge at me (provided it's not "write a C program"), I'll be glad to field it.