Hello, world!

Developer, gamer, geek, wizard.

A passionate developer and user experience analyst, who believes in delivering solutions that are technologically elegant as well as accessible, usable, and efficient.

Excellence-driven and detail-oriented, hard-working, patient, and technically adept. Merging technical skills with a deep understanding of the human aspects of technology. A flexible addition to any workforce

Well-versed in a broad range of IT-related topics, and eager to learn and adapt.

Skills

Experience

Sep 2021 - May 2022:General Staff at Stay Nozawa.
  • Performed a range of maintenance activities at various Stay Nozawa properties. Tasks included network and wireless setup, building and repairs, housekeeping, kitchen assistance, and clearing snow in one of the snowiest places in the world. I fulfilled many roles as needed in order to assist in the smooth operation of Stay Nozawa's many accommodation and dining facilities in the ski town of Nozawaonsen, Japan.
Jul 2018 - Aug 2021:Backpacker. Travelling Japan.
  • A working holiday across Japan, immersing myself in the language and culture. I spent time learning the basics of Japanese, and I continue to study the language at least a little every day.
  • During my travels I supported myself financially by working various short-term and part-time jobs, mostly in hostels or offering conversational English lessons which are common in Japan.
Jul 2016 - Jun 2018:Software Developer at Rand Merchant Bank.
  • Responsibilities included the extension, maintenance, and operational support of the bank's exotic trading platform. The exotic trading platform was responsible for all trade valuations and risk calculations that did not conform to more standardised trading systems and required specialised support. Worked directly with the quantitative analysis team to provide support to the trading desk, and to report to the South African Reserve Bank.
  • Assumed responsibility for the extension and maintenance of the bank's integration into ULLink, a gateway between the bank and various exchanges, such as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This code was code developed in other areas of the bank, in languages outside of the team's core competencies.
Apr 2015 - Jun 2016:Backpacker. Travelling Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, England, Wales, Scotland, Malaysia, and Thailand.
  • Gaining an understanding of cultures around the world.
  • Developing independent problem solving skills.
  • Learning to work outside of my comfort zone.
Dec 2013 - Mar 2015:User Experience Analyst Team Lead at DStv Digital Media.
Dec 2012 - Nov 2013:User Experience Analyst at DStv Online.
Jun 2012 - Nov 2012:User Experience Intern at DStv Online.
  • Helped to grow DStv's user experience team from two members, to eight, including a dedicated research team.
  • Helped to integrate user experience into DStv's Agile development culture.
  • Worked as a multi-functional user experience analyst. Performing tasks from requirements gathering, prototyping and wireframing, a wide variety of local and remote user testing, down to detail-oriented work such as heuristic evaluation and copywriting.
  • With knowledge of both the human and technical aspects of IT, worked closely with the designers, product owners, and developers, to balance the needs of users with the requirements of the business and technical teams.
  • Worked with nearly every product and brand DStv has to offer, with a primary focus on video-on-demand services such as DStv Now, DStv Catch Up, BoxOffice, and Africa Magic Go.
  • Worked across a wide variety of platforms, including responsive web, Android, iOS, DStv set-top-boxes such as the DStv Explora, Android set-top-boxes, XBox One, and Samsung SmartTVs.
  • Helped to build and administer DStv's User Experience Lounge in the Randburg customer care centre. The lab features state-of-art recording technology, including cameras, microphones, and an eye-tracker, to better observe exactly how users interact with DStv's products and services.
Jan 2012 - May 2012:Java Developer at Bhyve Technologies.
  • Worked on the SysGen system, a tool to enable drag-and-drop creation of web and mobile applications.
  • Headed up work on a module to allow SysGen applications to interface with existing databases and webservers. Users could provide database connection information or a WSDL document, and map these systems into their SysGen application.
  • Worked in Java, with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the interface.
2011: Tutor of Computer Programming 1 and 2 (Java) at Monash University.
Tutor of Industrial Experience at Monash University.
  • Ran tutorials and practical lessons covering each week's material in depth.
  • Provided mentorship and answered questions surrounding the material.
  • Graded weekly assignments for each class, providing individual feedback to each student on how to improve.
2010:Development Manager and PHP developer for the Oxfam Australia Program Evaluation Management System.
  • Headed up development in a multifunctional Agile project team.
  • Presented project progress at weekly demo days.

Education

2014: Nielsen Norman Group, UX Certification.
2013:Nielsen Norman Group, Usability Week in San Francisco.
UX Certification Badge from Nielsen Norman Group.
2011: Honours Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences at Monash University.
2008 - 2010: Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences at Monash University, Majoring in Application Development and Networks.
  • Nomination for the IT Sir John Monash Medal, 2010.
  • Highest marks for FIT3046 Web Systems 3 (C# and ASP.NET), 2010.
  • Cliff Bellamy Dean's Achievement Award 2009.
  • Overall Top Student in IT, 2009.
  • Top Second Year Student in IT, 2009.
  • 3.92 GPA, 90.39% WAM.
2002 - 2007: Fourways High School
  • 6 Matric distinctions: Mathematics, Computer Science, Science, Accounting, English, and Afrikaans.
  • Computer Science Award.

Portfolio