Dev
What I do.
I am a freelance web developer, and my main interest is in working towards a more ethical web. You can read more about the ethical web below.
In my work, I prioritize accessibility for all users, performance, speed, and following best practices and standards.
I am available for hire for any of the following:
- building new websites from scratch
- fixing issues on existing websites
- performance and accessibility consulting
For more information, see the services page.
Testimonials.
thisblogisaboutyou.com
New website
It's so easy for me to add content to my blog! I didn't have a clear idea of how I wanted it to look, but Bradley managed to take my few ideas and make it look really great. He also added new features I needed in record time.
brakdakkie.co.za
New website
All through the process Bradley amazed me. I'm so happy with how the redesigned site turned out. He is also so responsive and so quick to make changes. I couldn't be happier.
Portfolio.
Personal blog.
read moreBed & Breakfast.
read morePersonal website.
read more
Ethical web.
As a web developer, my main interest is in helping to create a more ethical web. What do I mean by the “ethical web”? There is no single, universally agreed-upon definition, but In short, the ethical web puts the user and the environment first.
I do my best to only use open-source tools, and I try to only choose products and services from companies with good, (more) ethical business practices, especially those with a stated green policy. I have switched providers when I don't feel that a company's values align with my own (here's one example), and do reassess platforms, tools and services from time to time.
Ethically-designed websites:
- are accessible to any user, regardless of (dis)ability
- are secure, and transparent about privacy
- are lightweight and use minimal device resources
- don’t make many assumptions about the user
- cater to a wide range of devices and internet speeds
- are eco-concious, choosing environmentally-friendly tools and green web hosting
A great reference is the “Ethical Web Principles” document created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which outlines some of these requirements. The Green Web Foundation is a good resource for understanding the need for a fossil-free internet.
In building accessible websites, these are some of the considerations I make:
- is this site 100% functional for persons using screen readers?
- do all images have appropriate “alt” text?
- can this site work well with javascript disabled?
- is the site 100% useable for persons that rely on keyboard-only navigation?
- are animations disabled for users with motion sensitivity?
- do sliders / carousels have easy-to-use controls?
- is there enough color contrast so that text is easily readable?
- does the site still work at high zoom levels?
- does the site perform well on very slow internet speeds?
I am always trying to learn more about best practices for accessible and ethical web design and development. You can read more about that tools I use below. If you notice anything that needs improvement on this site, please let me know.
Other Projects.
These days, I am primarily making static sites (i.e. not web apps), but I love tinkering, and have made various other projects.
I am most at home with Javascript in the browser and Node, but I am pretty comfortable with Python and reasonably adept with SQL and Google Sheets as well; if you need help creating a robust spreadsheet solution to a problem, I am available for that work as well. See the services page for more info.
hymnary-scrape
A simple python cli app to download hymn texts from hymnary.org
- python
docker-dropbox
Dropbox in Docker. A fork of @janeczku/docker-dropbox, which is now unmaintained. Updated for Ubuntu Jammy.
- docker
- linux
eleventy-plugin-broken-links
A plugin for @11ty/eleventy to check your build for broken links.
- node
- eleventy
256-color-matcher
A web app to find the closest matching standard 8-bit / 256 color from a given input.
- javascript
- html
- css
My tools.
Here are some of the tools I use in my work as a developer and musician.
Development tools.
- Pop!_OS linux distribution
- Figma design & prototype
- VS Code code editor
- NeoVim code editor
- Eleventy static site generator
- Netlify hosting & deployment
- Digital Ocean hosting & deployment
- Hygraph content management system
- Strapi content management system
Languages & Frameworks.
- HTML
- CSS
- Javascript
- Typescript
- React
- SASS
- Bash
- Python
Music tools.
- Lilypond music notation
- Jitsi Meet video conferencing for lessons
- Audacity audio editing
- Shotcut video editing