About
Hi, I'm Joel.I build things for the web.
A software developer in Vancouver. I care about how things feel as much as how they work, and I write down what I learn along the way. I came to code from nonprofit work, and I still think first about the people on the other end of what I build.
What I love
My family
First, and always.
People
Getting to know them, working beside them, and building things they actually need.
Helping people through technology
Using what I know about the web to make someone's work a little easier, like TapBill, or a site a client can run themselves.
How I work
- A
Start with the people
Who's going to use this, and what do they need from it? Everything else comes after that.
- B
Build it with them
I design and build, and I talk to the people who'll use it along the way, so nothing gets lost between the idea and the browser.
- C
Leave them able to run it
I train clients to update their own sites, so the work keeps being useful long after I hand it over.
- D
Understand it, so I can stand behind it
Good tools make building fast. I still want to know why it works, because people are trusting it.
Now
- Building
TapBill
Time tracking and invoicing for freelancers, in private beta.
- Working
Be the Change Group
Building for public health, education and climate. I still take on independent builds too, because I love building for people.
- Learning
To share what I make
Writing down what I build and what I know, and putting it out into the world.