April 02, 2010 · Coming soon! After releasing 5things, I am currently working on another small web application called: Stash, which is scheduled for rollout later this summer.
March 22, 2010 · New web app launched! Presenting 5things, a flexible task and to-do list manager created to simplify your daily planning and to increase your productivity.

Zen Punch Creative (zpc) is my web company.
(zpc) is dedicated to quality web product strategy consulting and the development of scalable web applications.
For inquiries, contact creative@zenpunch.com or call (215) 948-2810.

  More About Me

I am a web developer with a passion for usable and standards-compliant user interfaces and stable database-driven web applications implementing the latest web technologies and trends.

I have built experience in a variety of areas and thrive to learn more every day. On this page you can view some of my current interests.

My computer of choice is a Mac. I live for music and love traveling. I have a cat named Lucy.

  • Ruby on Rails

    agile and test-driven web development with the Rails framework

    Ruby on Rails (1/2) RoR is currently my framework of choice for developing web applications.
     
    Ruby is a dynamic, open source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity.
     
    Ruby on Rails is an open-source web framework that's optimized for programmer happiness and sustainable productivity. It lets you write beautiful code by favoring convention over configuration.close  Test-driven development...

    Ruby on Rails (2/2) Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a software development technique that follows the following simple principles:
     
    1. Write a test
    2. Make it fail
    3. Write code to pass the test
    4. Repeat
     
    Read more: About.com | Wikipedia | a good essay on TDD | TDD in RoR introduction | another TDD/Rails introduction close close

  • Rabobank

    (X)HTML and CSS

    exploring the newest standards such as HTML5, CSS3, and Microformats

    (X)HTML and CSS I have more than 10 years of experience developing standards-compliant websites keeping track of the latest techniques and principles.
     
    This website is fully HTML5 compliant (without using any of the advanced features yet) and implements some new CSS3 features such as shadows and rounded corners. These features are not supported by browsers such as the Internet Explorer. I recommend Firefox instead. close close

  • AJAX and jQuery

    using the jQuery JavaScript library to enhance the user experience

    AJAX and jQuery This website builds heavily on the jQuery library.
     
    AJAX is a group of interrelated web development techniques used on the client-side to create interactive web applications or rich Internet applications.
     
    jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. close close

  • Databases

    database design and programming, including MySQL, Oracle, and MS SQL

    Databases I have experience in a variety of different database systems, including SQL Server, mySQL, Oracle, Access.
     
    This website uses mySQL with an InnoDB storage engine. My interests include database optimization and scalability. close close

  • Web Technologies

    .NET, ASP, PHP, XML, APIs, Web Services, SEO and optimization

    Web Technologies Over the years, I had the opportunity to work with a number of different web technologies and platforms. I am in particular interested in web application development issues and technologies. close close

  • Usability & Web Standards

    creating usable, intuitive, and standards-compliant web interfaces

    Usability & Web Standards Web Standards are technologies for creating and interpreting web-based content, These are carefully designed to deliver the greatest benefits to the greatest number of web users while ensuring the long-term viability of any document published on the Web.
     
    Usability refers to the elegance and clarity with which the interaction with a computer program or a web site is designed. close close

  • Project Management

    managing the full life-cycle of complex application development

    Project Management I have been exposed to the full development life-cycle of multiple web applications and projects of various sizes, including the intranet infrastructure of a globally-operating company, as well as SaaS projects.
     
    I have years of experience in estimates/scoping, product delivery, and client interaction, working in fast-paced environments with tight deadlines. close close

  • Typography & Design

    exploring layouts, grids, white space, and typography

    Typography & Design Interests and experience includes text replacement strategies, grid layouts, intuitive and user-friendly design & layouts, as well as current and upcoming trends in modern web and print design. close close

  • Data Mining

    studying trends in textual data mining and information retrieval

    Data Mining Data Mining is the area of Computer Science that deals with the extraction of information from a large set of data.
     
    I have spent several years with research of information retrieval techniques and topics, such as Emerging Trend Detection (ETD) and First Story Detection (FSD). close close

  • My Papers

    research on Emerging Trend Detection and First-Story Detection

    My Research Papers (1/2) Here are a few of my research papers in case you are interested.
     
    Indro De. (2005) Experiments in Emerging Trend Detection and First Story Detection. Honors Paper.
     
    Indro De (April Kontostathis, Faculty Advisor). (2005) Experiments in First Story Detection. Proceedings of The National Conference On Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2005.close close | read more...

    My Research Papers (2/2)Kontostathis, April, Indro De, Lars E. Holzman and William M. Pottenger. (2004). Use of Term Clusters for Emerging Trend Detection. Technical Report.close close

  My Work

I like getting things done and have been fortunate enough to be part of a variety of interesting work. This is just a small selection of projects I have worked on during the past few years.

Click on a project to view details.

Click on More projects... to view a list of some of my other work that did not make the cut.

  • Rabobank

    Rabobank BCP

    business continuity plan (BCP) content management system

    Rabobank BCP A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a practiced logistical plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical functions within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption.
     
    This project consisted of creating a customized content management system and frontend-view for the intranet of the Manhattan office of Rabobank.
     
    My work included back-end and front-end programming.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, SQL Server close  visit Rabobank website...

  • Wanamaker ARMS

    resource management system for marketing agencies

    Wanamaker ARMS (1/2) This is a complex resource management and benchmarking application for marketing agencies. Features include role-based user management and complex reporting tools based on stored procedures to query a large Oracle database.
     
    My work included the implementation of various feature upgrades, bug-fixes, and layout/interface improvements. Involved in every part of the design, programming, testing, and maintenance process.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL
     
    Read more about it on the ARMS website. close  visit Wanamaker ARMS website... close  view screenshots...

    Wanamaker ARMS (2/2) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • PATH MRC

    employee learning resources library and training application

    PATH Member Resource Centre (1/3) This is a complex intranet application of the human resources department of a large globally-operating company. The Member Resource Center serves a number of functions, including:
    · searchable database of training resources
    · training course calendar, registration process, and instructor's classroom tools
    · personalized employee's achievements/tracking page; item ratings and feedback
     
    I was involved in the entire development life-cycle, including design, coding, testing, rollout, and maintenance of 63 production files.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript, PL/SQL close  view screenshots...

    PATH Member Resource Centre (2/3) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close  view even more screenshots...

    PATH Member Resource Centre (3/3) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • Global Glossary

    business terms glossary authoring and request system

    Global Glossary (1/2) In the context of a global company's intranet, the Global Glossary is a dictionary-like glossary of business terms used in everyday business processes. Advanced features include:
    · ability to request new terms and their definitions
    · multi-level approval process for new requests
    · advanced error-handling for missing terms
    · usable glossary interface
     
    I was involved in the entire development life-cycle, including design, coding, testing, rollout, and maintenance.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL close  view screenshots...

    Global Glossary (2/2) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • Delos Release Management

    custom release management and version control system

    Delos Release Management (1/3) This is a complex application to manage client companies, websites, applications, versions, files, change requests, database requests, and much more for in-house use.
     
    The realization of this project replaced the use of Microsoft Word documents and Excel spreadsheets for release management and version control. The release management system keeps track of all files for a release, including change history, and can create a number of reports (e.g. Release Log, File List, Change Request Reports, etc.) for viewing and printing. close  view more information & screenshots...

    Delos Release Management (2/3) The project was developed for the very specific needs of the client (us!) and constantly upgraded. Recently, the release management system was merged with a Test Plan and Specifications system to easily create maintainable test plan and specification documents for an application or an specific release version. Furthermore the application is integrated with the Delos Time Tracker application which tracks the billable hours of employees.
     
    I was involved in the entire development life-cycle, including design, coding, testing, rollout, and maintenance.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL close  view screenshots...

    Delos Release Management (3/3) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • CRCA Moers

    website design and CMS for martial arts studio

    CRCA Moers This project involved the complete design and development of the CRCA Moers website including the database design and implementation and the integration of a Movable Type blog (PHP/MySQL) used for the news portion.
     
    The website consists of a customized Movable Type back-end and front-end integration, as well as content pages for training times, team pages, and a contact form (PHP). All website copies are fully maintainable by the content manager through an intuitive back-end interface.
     
    Note: Unfortunately, the studio recently had to shut down.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, MySQL, Movable Type CMS close  not online anymore

  • Delos Time Tracker

    employee work hours tracking and reporting application

    Delos Time Tracker (1/2) This is part of a project/release management suite developed for in-house use. This time tracker applications allows users/supervisors to enter work hours for an employee. Work hours can be matched with the corresponding project, change request, bug-fix, etc. to allow for detailed reporting and other administrative tasks, such as quotes and estimates.
     
    When an employee is entering his/her hours into the time tracker application, apart from the number of hours and the date, he selects from a list of projects and choses the change-# he has worked on, the type of work/service performed. Supervisors can print out employee time sheets for a specific timeframe, or create various reports (e.g. how many hours have been spent on a specific project in a certain time period, etc.). close  view more information & screenshots...

    Delos Time Tracker (2/2) This application is integrated with the Delos Release Management and Test Plans applications.
     
    I was involved in the entire development life-cycle, including design, coding, testing, rollout, and maintenance.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL
     
    Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • The Source Infrastructure

    intranet content management system for a global leasing company

    The Source Infrastructure De Lage Landen is a global provider of leasing, business and consumer finance solutions, including vendor finance and factoring.
     
    By far the largest in scope, this ongoing project consists of the development and maintenance of the company-wide intranet, including client-side and back-end pages used by more than 5000 employees worldwide. Features are added or tweaked in quarterly releases.
     
    I was involved in all aspects of the development process, including programming, interface design, quality assurance, and documentation. Contact me for more information. close  visit De Lage Landen website...

  • Zuber Realty

    real estate firm website and process applications

    Zuber Realty Richard A. Zuber Realty is the most experienced real estate organization covering six counties in Southeast Pennsylvania. This complex and ongoing project involved the complete overhaul of an existing website into maintainable and clean code, while implementing a number of new features and adding more pages. The larger part was the development of a new role-based back-end interface for agents, administrative personnel, etc. including various reporting, maintenance, and real estate information screens.
     
    I was involved in all aspects of the development process. Contact me for more information.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, MS Access database close  visit Zuber Realty website...

  • Washington Township

    township website and customized content management system

    Washington Township The goal of this project was to create a clean and accessible website for the Washington Township that can be fully updated by admins through an easy-to-use, fully customized content management system. The design should reflect the traditional image of this small community (Washington has a population of just around 3500). The CMS had to include all necessary features to maintain the entire website while being easy enough for admins with little computer-knowledge (let alone programming skills).
     
    I was involved in the entire development process including the decision-making of layout and design in accordance with the client.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL close  visit Washington Township website...

  • HR GPMS

    human resources global performance management system

    HR GPMS (1/2) The Global Performance Management System (GPMS) provides a consistent structure and methodology for employees of a large globally-operating company to establish a dialogue and to collaborate on measurable performance and career development goals.
     
    I was co-responsible to for the user interface design (creating large dynamic forms to enter employee performance data) and development. Other parts of the development included the migration of the user and functional and organizational competencies database. I was responsible for the entire codebase (front- and backend) of the project.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL close  view screenshots...

    HR GPMS (2/2) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • Wanamaker Courses

    online-training management and authoring system

    Wanamaker Courses (1/2) This is a complete web-based online-training management system that allows various clients to author and maintain rich-media course modules, track individual user progress, and much more.
     
    Course modules and pages are fully customizable, contain a number of multiple-choice questions, and may include images, audio tracks, and Flash animations. Course question results and progress information is stored for each user.
     
    I was involved in all aspects of the development process. Contact me for more information.
     
    Technologies:
    HTML, CSS, Javascript, VBScript, PL/SQL (Oracle DB), Adobe Flash close  view screenshots...

    Wanamaker Courses (2/2) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • Delos Test Plans

    project test plan and specifications documents creator

    Delos Test Plans (1/2) More information coming soon. Please contact me for details. close  view screenshots...

    Delos Test Plans (2/2) Click on a thumbnail to view the screenshot. close close

  • More projects...

    view a list of some more projects I have been part of in recent years

    Additional Projects Please contact me directly for more information regarding one of these items.
     
    Beacon Surveys
    · survey front-end, administration, and reporting
    HR Awards
    · employee awards nomination system
    IT Change Requests
    · change requests management and tracking
    IT Request for Services
    · computer help desk log and reporting application
    IT Time Traveler
    · employee work hours tracking system
    Wachovia Suite Reservations
    · Wachovia Center suite reservation form
    Springbeat
    · website of an annual event based in Montreal
    Maxwell Football Club
    · work for the awards-presenting club close close

  Contact Me

Please feel free to contact me with inquiries, suggestions, or just to say hello.
 
My preferred method for initial contact is by email or using the contact form link on the right.

  • (215) 948-2810

    my U.S. phone number
  • (02151) 736-290

    my German phone number