Usability / UX / Wireframeing

For years usability and user experience has been my biggest concern if it comes to design. I love watching others working with electronic devices. I always wonder why they make those tiny decisions when dealing with their smartphones app and websites. I’ve been working on my own DIY solution for eye-tracking, for last 3 years. Even if it's not the best tool for user testing, it can reveal a lot of issues and give valuable feedback. And yeah, maybe you have already heard I don’t like "user experience" phrase in terms of specialization. In my opinion it is something that every person involved in product design process should have in mind all the time. For me learning how to design UX is really taking care of end user needs. That’s why I took "user centered design" idea from software development vocabulary and made it as a crucial part of design in every project. Mostly I gain experience thanks to usability tests, books, events such as “World Usability Day” and I mix this knowledge with common sense.

Material Design / Bootstrap / Foundation

There is no modular design system and grid that can meet all your needs - that’s why I constantly look for new solutions. Usually I build these from scratch, but there are many cases when it’s just a waste of time. Then it comes to making proper decisions whether to use one of frameworks or not. I really like the idea of standing behind Material Design, and other systems. It often gives you an opportunity to quickly build a prototype that is already coherent with good design practices and is built with elements user already knows how to use.

Fireworks / Own FW extensions / Adobe Photoshop / Adobe Illustrator / Affinity Designer & Photo

I designed my first website in 2002. Yes, it was dreamweaver era. While gaining more and more experience I needed to look for a tool which allows me to rapidly prototype ideas and concepts of user interfaces, as well as webdesigns. I’ve been using Fireworks so many times , that I started to make my own simple extensions for it to speed up my workflow. Unfortunately that brilliant app was murdered by Adobe team. For a long time there hasn’t been any better option than Photoshop and Illustrator tandem. Nowadays I switched to Affinity Designer and Photo apps - awesome and feature rich tools for the job.

Raster & vector graphics

I’ve made a lot of photo manipulations and other visuals based on pixels. I create also icons, symbols, logos. Working with bitmaps and vectors is a key skill that lets me unleash creativity when it comes to communicate my client’s idea with their customers. And there are two groups of people - first claims that commercial graphic design is not an art, second thinks it is. I'm in the middle of them ;)

Brand identity / Key-visuals

The idea of symbol that is simple and (with proper use of shape, color and composition) can mean more than lots of words always seems to be kinda magical. The process of brand identity design is very demanding in terms of creativity and experience. That's why i love every part of it.

Animations / Web motion

Today, many websites seems to be similar when it comes to layout and composition. Animations and microinteractions can be something that make your product different from the rest and give it "good vibe". Besides, thanks to them using an application or website gives you much more pleasure. After static websites era I have started to designing that little dynamic movements. It just pleases my eyes :)

Typography

Underestimated part of graphic design. Throughout my career I had an opportunity to create two fonts, so I can truly appreciate someone’s hard work and effort to make every character I use in my projects. It is sad, but I think many designers don’t pay enough attention to typography that can help whole communication become more useful and beautiful. And it is not a secret that we are encouraged to use beautiful tools more than the ugly ones.

Own, node.js based front-end build stack

Node.js itself is awesome. With it, You can take your JavaScript experience and put it to the next level. It’s no longer just controlling browser behaviour - it is fully fledged programming language, thanks to node.js. It has overwhelming count of modules and extensions that lets you create such aid for your front-end workflow as our built stack kit. It has been developed for past 2 years, and it lets us work on projects more efficiently, taking care of repetitive tasks.

W3C standards / semantics / browsers compatibility

Huge part of being front-end developer is fighting with browsers inconsistency and different, unwanted behaviours. Speed of implementation of new HTML and JavaScript standards and specifications are pain in the neck of many. That’s why I accustom to this reality and paying attention to browser testing. I also check browser versions usage almost on daily basis... Every time with fingers crossed that we will be able to implement modern stuff today and everybody will be able to use it.

New Web API's

Things such as local storage, File API, MIDI support, canvas, WebGL or WebSockets widely extend possibilities of what can Web App do. Playing with those things is fun for me. But when it comes to serious projects those things give me ability to choose best solutions for the particular task.

JavaScript / AJAX / jQuery

No matter if it is React, Angular or just simple jQuery based application - it is important to know how those things work, to be able to make decisions on which technology we use. That is why after I’ve learnt how browser engines interpret JavaScript, I started to use more advanced techniques and frameworks. JavaScript also allows me to create clever fallbacks for older browsers which don’t support modern Web API's.

Progressive Web App / SPA / AMP

Browsers deliver us many experiences. We had travelled a long distance from the day when websites serves only static content. Today we have fully fledged applications that are running inside our browsers. Many of them don't even need internet connection. No wonder that many ideas and models have grown to achieve better user experience in terms of speed, reliability and cross device compatibility. You have to know how to use those if you want to design and develop high quality products.

Remote Debugging / Browsers Developer Tools / HTML Rendering flow / Speed Optimization

We still have to fight with browsers behaviour. Inconsistency or even lack in implementations of standards, poor connection speed, problems like FOUC... Beating those problems can be crucial for the project usability and user engagement. Users don’t think about that stuff. They come, encounter the obstacle and instantly abandon your beautiful site.

HTML5 / CSS3 / CSS Frameworks / Flex / RWD / CSS naming conventions / Preprocessors (SASS / LESS)

OK, so yes, I'm a real front-end developer. Without knowing those things I would look like knight without the sword. Building more advanced websites and services pushed me to organize my work better (e.g. with atomic design or BEM idea) and to use CSS extensions such as SASS. In time when most of sites have equal ratio of views from mobile devices and desktops there is no such thing like non-responsive website. So thinking about different screen sizes and pixel densities is a must while designing and developing the site or service.

ES6 / CoffeeScript, Gulp / Grunt, Webpack / Browserify / Bower

Technology of the future - used today, huh? It's brilliant that we don't have to wait for browsers to be compatible with newer JavaScript versions (with babel help). Sometimes I use CoffeeScript, Emmet, Grunt and Webpack, but my main build stack is based on Gulp and Browserify. No matter which of them you choose, it is important to know how they all work, so I often experiment with wide range of tools, modules and extensions. This also allows me to choose the best tools for projects I’m leading.

PHP MVC (CakePHP / Laravel / Lumen / Slim) / Wordpress

Wordpress is most popular CMS in whole web. I have started to learn how it is built as soon as I realised it will be with us for a long time. It was more than 10 years ago and yep, I was right :D I did lots of individual themes, customizations, plugins and implementations of websites and webservices. I always try to put the pieces of site together by my own solutions rather to use plugins, so I have full control of what is happening under the hood. That's why I know Wordpress very well. Numbers? Over 100 implementations of projects based on Wordpress as backend.

LAMP stack, Apache / NginX

If you wish to become a webdeveloper you have to face administrative and infrastructural problems. By knowing what options I’ve got when I want to host my project, I am able to choose the best ones. And playing with them is the best way to know these options. That's why I often check new tools and solutions. I have experimented with LiteSpeed, Apache and NginX. I also host different solutions for me and my clients such as files storages, microservices, chat services, databases, VPN, DNS or e-mail servers.

Node JS / Express JS / Angular / React / Socket.io

Javascript backend for javascript frontend developer seems to be the natural choice. Just overcome the habits of synchronous script execution and you are ready to go. I am.

SQL (MySQL, MariaDB, SQLLite) / NoSQL (mongoDB)

Like most, I started with SQL, but I was also able to learn how to work with nonrelational databases.

Hybrid Mobile Applications (Cordova, React Native, Flutter)

I love how nowadays web technologies are mixing with software applications. Hybrid mobile applications , browser based apps you can run without internet connection, modern API's. All of these let me use my skills to build solutions that hasn’t been achievable before without native programming. And I must admit I like challenges. Designing apps is something different than websites, so I can take my experience to next levels. Nowadays I have an opportunity to work with PhoneGap, React Native and Flutter.

Linux & Windows shell / GIT

I can’t even count how many times using shell commands speeded up my work. Being familiar with Windows and Linux shell encouraged me to use it to automate many processes. And there GIT appeared . At first it was kind of backup solution for me, but when it came to working with others it became irreplaceable tool. Today I am using mostly my own hosted GIT solution, based on GOGS.

Test Driven Development / DRY - Code Reuse

Methodologies are here to help us writing clean and usable code. That’s why I’m learning and exploring them everytime I’m banging on the keyboard :)

Raspberry PI programming

I am thrilled by what those little boards are capable of . I started to use one at home, making a file/DLNA server, print, VPN and MQTT server (for controlling home appliances). I also use it as a form of poligon for my ideas, such as radio station or "clap" remote controller for lights with success.

MQTT / Automation

Making my home a little bit smart and modern forced me to get to know better IoT protocols such as MQTT. Also I had successfully compiled and flashed custom esp8266 firmwares. Again - making my ideas possible requires me to learn how to use a lot of devices, protocols, tools and standards.

Virtualisation (VirtualBOX / Docker / Vagrant)

I’m really concerned about security and data loss, so I use virtualisation for every shady task I have to cope with . I’ve realised that virtualisation and containers techniques can be good for server security and scalability, so I started to explore it further. Being OS independent is often lifesaver when it comes to collaboration or migration.

Basic Python & C++ skills / Object Pascal (Delphi)

I have started my programming journey with Basic, on Commodore 64. Next step was Pascal, and just after Object Pascal, called Delphi. I made my first, serious Windows application with it. Since then I’ve got to know couple of programming languages syntaxes. For example I made app for Maemo (Nokia n900) in Python and Windows C++ application for switching off AC power of speakers when there is no sound at soundcard output.

Markdown (MD)

I know it is funny I put this here, but I really appreciate that someone made this. I can now easily write down every type of document and easily convert it to nicely looking, formatted one. No matter if it is documentation of application, or shopping list :)

DIY lighting / studio sessions

I am kind of handyman. I spend my free time on various DIY projects. Mainly they concern homemade lighting solution for studio photography. Then I use those ring lights or softboxes in studio to take photos of objects, people and... dogs :) I love playing with photography and reaching boundaries of gear I use. I'm interested in almost every kind of it - timelapses, long exposures, HDR's...

Product / Real Estate / Events photography

While I was improving my skills of webdesigning I noticed that almost every fine website is based on good looking, high quality photos. Because I am that kind of guy - I started wondering how I could make those pictures by myself. This way I have control on how the product or service will look like in the end for the customer.

Panoramas / 360 photo / long exposure

Take shot, change the exposure, move the frame, repeat the process, invoke RAW files, stitch series together, blend the HDR's... Many people may think this is hard work, but for some of us it is fun and it’s entertaining. Unfortunately taking professional pictures requires knowing exactly what I am doing so I had to gain experience and learn that stuff earlier.

Filming, Editing, Color Grading, Post Production, FX

I can’t tell that I'm anywhere close to those guys from Hollywood studios, but I’ve learned a lot about capturing and working with moving pictures. Firstly I learned how to record video and get footage that will be OK. Then I spent hours of trials to make those footage work together, and be beautifully color graded. Often something you didn't planned pops out when it’s too late to take another shot. That is how I get to know FX techniques that let me modify footages and achieve results that are not possible without effects.

Animation and motion

While I was working with videos I started to learn how to put things in motion. I won some ancient Flash competition, then I started to master my "timeline" skills using different tools. Today After Effects is my best friend if I have to present dynamic UI concepts or render whatever I could need for commercial usage.

Time and hyperlapse / gimbal

That first thing is very interesting because it let us see things we could not see with our eyes. The time for us can't be freezed or speeded up. I use camera often for that purpose. For taking steady shots my main tool is gimbal, and I love to play with it and figuring new ways to utilize it.

DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro / After Effects

I'm switching between Premiere and After Effects really fast :) I had edited and made some FX in over 30 videos (shorts and little bit longer ones). Adobe collection was my base toolset, but now I'm moving to DaVinci Resolve.

Magic Lantern

One of the best interventions in the firmware made by awesome community. It brings to my first camera features reserved only for the most expensive ones so I can learn how to use them and get the best from my gear. Furthermore the usage of special settings let me capture more dynamic range for post production.

Music production

I make beats for past 14 years. I am doing it for fun and it helps me to stay relaxed. I’ve made over 1500 songs, loops and compositions and they are still coming :) I know how to scratch. I’m interested in sound design and engineering . I’ve used bunch of different synthesizers, effects and samplers but my main workflow apps are...

Reason 10 / Adobe Audition / MPC 500

I’ve made a lot presets and sample packs for Reason. For audio recording I use mainly Audition. When it comes to producing and travelling I often take my MPC500 with me.

Studio audio recording

As I mentioned before - I’ve been always interested in making things in my own way. That's why I felt into home recording and basic concepts of audio processing. This helped me to understand what is important to achieve best results and how I can increase the quality of my works.

Digital mixing and mastering techniques

Low-pass, high-pass, further EQ, then compress it, saturate, limit and maximize. Waiting for the end of the loudness war and mix for smartphones era.