• mail@nathanhiemstra.com
• 773-209-6300
• Chicago, Illinois
• Resume

Nathan Hiemstra - Portfolio

• Inuit Art Society

  Arts organization site for promoting events and growing membership.

  Role:

  Design, Development, Strategy

  Challenge:

  To create a site that endears users to the beauty of Inuit art, while solving the following goals for the organization. I helped them to identify and prioritize these goals:

  1. Communication mechanism to members
  2. Users find educating info about Inuit art (articles, book reviews, links)
  3. Users find art to buy and sell
  4. Grow membership

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• ServiceLive/Sears

  Matches service providers with home and business owners.

  Role:

  Consultant: usability testing - design and copy editing, front end development. (Consultant through Acquity Group)

  Challenge:

  In the site's previous version, users were having trouble understanding how the site and service actually works and where to start. Through usability testing I solved these two goals by simplifying the layout and copy focusing on the "right" wording and images that already existed in the site.
  

  

• Amundson Group - Real Estate

  Real estate sale and leasing promotion.

  Role:

  Design, Development, Logo Design.

  Challenge:

  The site needed to be flexible to showcase which ever property is currently available, which still showing the remaining properties. This uses Google Maps to show locations and give descriptions.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• Accounting Solutions, Ltd

  Accounting firm promotional site and library of accounting articles.

  Role:

  Design, Development, Strategy, Usability

  Challenge:

  To make a clean, clear design that inspires confidence and shows the firms expertise. More than anything, they just wanted users to call or email them. Every page on the site funnels users towards one of these options.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• WHPK 88.5FM University of Chicago

  Radio station program schedule and promotion.

  Role:

  Design and Development

  Challenge:

  The design had to feel like it could belong to any of the station's genres, while still "taking a stand" and having an emotional, musical identity. I built an extensive content management tool so the station could update the shows, schedule, djs, news stories, events, and archive old shows.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• Sears Inventory Management Application

  Internal web-based application for Sears and their vendors.

  Role:

  Front-end Development. (Consultant through Acquity Group)

  Challenge:

  To provided front-end development for this internal web-based application for Sears. I collaborated with Acquity Group's designers, user experience strategists, other front-end developers to produce front-end code (including jQuery) ready to for the Sears back-end team to integrate into their system. I also assisted with usability testing.

  * Under development

  

• Illinois Family Divorce

  E-commerce solution for online divorce packages and library of divorce related articles.

  Role:

  Development, conversion goal and usability consulting

  Challenge:

  To build the site pixel-perfect based on the original design. To incorporate third-party search and forum packages. I helped clarify the actual conversion goals and redefined emphasis of the site.

  This site and LawyerSchmoyer.com (below) share the same e-commerce functionality, so I developed it in a way that shows the partnership between the two sites while keeping the branding of each individual site.

  This site involved using ASP and Authorize.net.

  

• LawyerSchmoyer

  E-commerce solution for online divorce packages.

  Role:

  Development, conversion goal and usability consulting

  Challenge:

  To build site based on an existing design.

  I helped sort through the legal jargon and clarify the actual difference between e-commerce services the site offers through consulting with the site's owner and usability tests. We ultimately were successful in getting more traffic to the more desirable service (meaning more expensive and higher value).

  This site and IllinoisDivorce.com (above) share the same e-commerce functionality, so I developed it in a way that shows the partnership between the two sites while keeping the branding of that individual site.

  This site involved using ASP and Authorize.net.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• Sketchpad

  Luxury home plans and e-commerce.

  Role:

  Front-end Develop
  (Designed by Highland Group, Grand Rapids, MI)

  Challenge:

  This site sells luxury home plans, so all home illustrations, floor plans, and detail images had to be converted and displayed perfectly from source images; the most challenging being complex vector CAD files. I worked closely with an excellent SEO company, the site designer, and creative director. I visually integrated the shopping cart third-party package.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• Chris Miller’s Artist Portfolio

  Role:

  Collaborative Design & Development

  Challenge:

  Collaborated with the artist to create a design consistent with his artwork and to make the artwork be the focus while site design plays a subtle, supportive role.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• ASG Software Solutions

  Software solution company promotional site.

  Role:

  Front-end Development
  (Designed by Highland Group, Grand Rapids, MI)

  Challenge:

  To take existing content for 700+ pages and integrate it with the new design as efficiently as possible. This was a beast!

  

• House Confessions with Homie the House.

  Promotion and documentation of touring art installation.

  Role:

  Art Direct & Development

  Challenge:

  The purpose of this art installation is to create a dialog among students about college drinking. The site's purpose is to continue this dialog online, promote future installations, and document past installations; all to generate interest and funding to make this a permanent touring project.

  I worked with a designer to make a design that solved the intended functions of the site. I built it to be easily updated by the project curator.

  » Compliant with Web Standards.

  

• Sarah Sanford’s Artist Portfolio

  Role:

  Design and Development
  (Designed by Highland Group, Grand Rapids, MI)

  Challenge:

  To create a design consistent with Sarah’s artwork and to make the artwork be the focus while site design plays a subtle, supportive role.

  

• Personal Trainer Network

  Personal trainer matching site.

  Role:

  Design and Development
  

  Design Challenge:

  To feel motivating and inspiring, getting users excited about making positive changes in their lives.

  Functional Challenge:

  • Users can search database of trainers based on location and fitness specialties.
  • Trainers can create a profile online. Once logged in, trainers can edit their profile, specialties, certifications, and travel locations.
  • I built for the staff an admin tool to edit all items the trainer can, as well as manage the list of trainers, edit and approve new specialties and certifications requested by trainers as search criteria.
  • Built with PHP and MySQL.

  

Retired Sites

• Kalamazoo Public Library

  Role:

  Design and Development

  Design Challenge:

  To create a design consistent with the bright, bold, and colorful use of refracting light in the architectural design of the library, created in collaborated by artist Michael Hayden.

  Functional Challenge:

  To develop it simply so the library staff can easily edit their sections.

  

• Kalamazoo Public Library - Teen and Children Sites

  Role:

  Design and Development

  Challenge:

  To give these section of the site their own identity, attractive to their age group, while feeling connected to the library's main site.

  
  

• Reading Together 2004-2007

  Promotional site for annual community book club and reading program.

  Role:

  Design and Develop Template

  Site Description:

  A community reading program put on by the Kalamazoo Public Library.

  Challenge:

  To create a design consistent with the feel of the book's content, cover, and other promotion material produced by the library. To make finding events quick and easy from any page.

  
  
  
  

• Kalamazoo Public Library - Reader’s Corner

  Community reading program and events.

  Role:

  Design and Develop Template

  Description:

  A collection of events and resources by the Kalamazoo Public Library.

  Challenge:

  To bring together many diverse programs and events into an intuitive navigation. It also needed to be flexible to always show new events and changing content. In addition, I designed the logo.

  

• The Red Lemon Store & Capitol Records Promotion

  Hip-hop fashion e-commerce online store.

  Role:

  Design and Development

  Description:

  A promotion for contest winners of a special promotion between Capitol Records and The Redlemon Store.

  Challenge:

  To capture the feel of the featured recording artist as well as the participating fashion clothes store.