This page contains samples of my work in writing, editing, document design, marketing, desktop publishing, usability studies, Flash animation, and website construction. Together, they demonstrate my ability to handle a wide variety of projects, always balancing the needs of the audience (and, when applicable, the desires of the client) with the goals of the project.

Technical/Professional Writing

PCE Website Usability Testing – Final Report - the final report for a usability test conducted on a university website

CUSP Grant Proposal - a grant proposal I researched and wrote for a teacher professional development workshop

TutorTrac User Guide - a user guide for a web-based application to schedule tutoring appointments, created for the reception staff of UMass Dartmouth’s Writing and Reading Center

Research Report: The Importance of the User Experience in End-User Documentation - a research report explaining why user-centered design is necessary for effective documentation

Journalism/PR

Feature Article on Gerald Vinci - a human interest feature article that was published in Dart Magazine and The New Bedford Standard-Times

Noyce Program Press Release – Oct 2012 - a press release publicizing the accomplishments of students in the Noyce Scholarship program

Brochure – 2013 BBWP Young Writers Workshop - a brochure advertising a summer workshop for young writers, created in Adobe InDesign

CUSP Newsletter Spring 2013 - a newsletter for the Center for University, School and Community Partnerships, created in Adobe InDesign

Technology

Drupal Mind (Website) - a website built from scratch using the Drupal content management system

Flash Video: “The Internationale” by Eugene Pottier - an Adobe Flash animation interpreting a poem for a new medium

Layout Design Portfolio - a collection of Adobe InDesign layouts I created for Dart Magazine

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PCE Website Usability Testing – Final Report

Part 1 of 2 (PDF)

Part 2 of 2 (PDF)

Note: Although the report is one document, here I have separated the appendices from the rest of the report due to upload size restrictions.

Purpose:

The Director of Marketing for UMass Dartmouth’s Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) department wished to improve the usability of their website. To assist in this endeavor, I conducted a small-scale usability test on the site. I then analyzed the data and generated this report, which I presented to the Director of Marketing to guide changes to the website.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Plan and conduct usability testing on a product
Interpret the data and articulate the results in a clear, readable manner

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CUSP Grant Proposal (PDF)

Note: Since the Nordson Foundation requires that grant proposals be submitted via an online form, this document simply contains the content of the proposal placed into a text file.

Purpose:

The Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) is a branch of UMass Dartmouth that provides high-quality, inter-district professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers in the South Coast region of Massachusetts. In accordance with the needs of the state, CUSP wished to conduct a workshop series for K-12 teachers that would help them to better understand the unique needs of English Language Learner (ELL) students. After researching potential funding sources, I settled on the Nordson Foundation, and wrote this grant proposal to seek funding for the project. (Note: As the deadline for this grant is August of 2013, it has not yet been submitted.)

Demonstrates my ability to:

Research potential funding sources and select an appropriate match for a given project
Communicate with a client to determine their needs
Write a persuasive grant proposal that uses data and statistics along with rhetorical techniques to make its case

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TutorTrac User Guide (PDF)

Purpose:

In the Spring semester of 2012, the Writing and Reading Center at UMass Dartmouth began to utilize TutorTrac, but lacked documentation for it. As the Graduate Assistant, one of my duties was to supervise the reception staff, so I took it upon myself to create a simple, easy-to-follow guide using Microsoft Word that would instruct them on how to use the program for any situation they may encounter. The guide features explicit step-by-step instructions and frequent screenshots to minimize errors and accommodate varying degrees of technological proficiency.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Learn a new application in a short amount of time
Convey concepts in a clear, effective manner

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Research Report: The Importance of the User Experience in End-User Documentation

Purpose:

I wrote this report to display my understanding of why usability is of critical importance in technical documentation. By consulting a wide variety of resources, I was able to form my own ethos as it pertains to the field of technical writing.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Research a topic thoroughly and using many types of resources
Synthesize the results of my research into a document that clearly articulates my point
Appreciate the need for user-centered design

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Feature Article on Gerald Vinci (PDF) (Original Article)

Published in Dart Magazine Vol. 2.0 Fall 2011 (pages 38-39).
Published in the Feb. 7, 2012 edition of The New Bedford Standard-Times. The online version can be found here. (Note that the Times’ editorial staff made some minor changes to the original article – including, unfortunately, a few typos. Such are the realities of publishing.)

Purpose:

I wrote this piece as a human interest story that would appeal not only to those with ties to UMD or New Bedford, but also to a wider, more general audience. Beyond the inspirational quality inherent in Vinci’s story, the piece also spoke to the timely subject of the struggling American economy, as Vinci’s financial concerns are partly what spurred him to return to school at the age of sixty.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Interview a subject and collect relevant information
Convert that information into a compelling, timely story that appeals to a wide audience

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Noyce Program Press Release – Oct 2012 (PDF)

To view this press release as published on The New Bedford Standard-Times’ website on October 4, 2012, click here.

Purpose:

As part of my duties at the Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP), I wrote this press release to publicize the accomplishments of students in the Noyce Scholarship Program, one of the programs within CUSP. I then pitched the story to the appropriate contact at The New Bedford Standard-Times, who agreed to publish it in their Education section. Through this, I not only generated public goodwill towards the Noyce Program and CUSP, but also indirectly advertised the program itself to the many local readers of The New Bedford Standard-Times.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Gather information about a subject through various means, including interviews and Internet research
Present information in the clear, direct manner expected of a press release
Act as a media liaison, contacting the appropriate parties to obtain publicity for an event or program

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2013 BBWP Young Writers Workshop Brochure (PDF)

Note: Since specific information pertaining to this year’s program is not yet available, I substituted placeholder text in some locations.

Purpose:

The Buzzards Bay Writing Project (BBWP) needed an updated brochure to promote their 2013 Summer Camp for Young Writers, so I used Adobe InDesign to create a simple, attractive layout. Potential participants and/or their parents will use the brochure to learn about the program and how to sign up for it.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Design visually appealing and informative marketing materials using current design software

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CUSP Newsletter Spring 2013 (PDF)

Purpose:

I wrote and designed this newsletter to inform the audience – which is generally comprised of education professionals who have experience with CUSP – about news, achievements, and events involving The Center for University, School and Community Partnerships. To do this, I gathered information from the various programs under the CUSP umbrella, combined it with my own research, and condensed that information into brief but informative news articles that promote the Center and its accomplishments. I created the layout entirely in Adobe InDesign.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Gather information about a subject through various means, including interviews and Internet research
Write clear, informative copy directed at a particular audience
Design an effective, creative layout through which to present information

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Drupal Mind (Website)

Note:

To view much of the content on this site, you will have to register. If you do not wish to register yourself, feel free to type in guest1 for both the username and password to receive full access.

Before building the Drupal Mind site, I created a design document to guide its construction, which I posted on its own site. The landing page is the Drupal default since I made the site for my own benefit, but you can use the tabs at the top to navigate to the various chapters. To view the design document site, click here.

Purpose:

The purpose in this case is multi-layered. The site itself is aimed at helping novice Drupal users find useful help videos more easily, and also become a part of a community of others in the same situation. I wrote and designed the site to accommodate users of varying skill levels, with the understanding that to be using Drupal in the first place one would have to be reasonably technologically proficient.

The reason I created the site, however, was as an exercise in both website construction and writing for the web. As I was learning Drupal myself, it made sense to practice my skills by building an actual site, and Drupal Mind is the result. This is why it is still in the prototype phase, and also why I was only concerned with functionality and text rather than aesthetics when I built it.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Use Drupal CMS to create a functional website
Learn and utilize a complex new technology
Write effectively for the web
Plan and execute a complex project

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Flash Video: “The Internationale” by Eugene Pottier

Click here to view video.

Purpose:

As I was learning to use Adobe Flash Professional, I created this short video to practice my skills with the program. Through text-based animation, I interpreted the poem “The Internationle” for a new medium.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Create animation using Adobe Flash Professional
Translate a text into a new media presentation that uses current technology to enhance its meaning

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Layout Design Portfolio (PDF)

Notes:

The resume section has been omitted to avoid confusion. To view my current resume, click here.
I designed this document to be viewed as two facing pages with a cover page. To view it properly in Adobe Reader, click on “View” in the top menu, then “Page Display.” From there, enable “Two Page View” and “Show Cover Page in Two Page View.”

Purpose:

I created this portfolio in the Fall of 2011 to showcase some of my design work for Dart Magazine, UMass Dartmouth’s student-created publication. Each layout in this portfolio, as well as the portfolio itself, was created using Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.

Demonstrates my ability to:

Create eye-catching layouts in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator
Convey information in a creative way using current design software