The and
between design and dev.

I design for the what-ifs and the in-betweens:
the empty states, edge cases, and handoffs.

See how I work
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What if it’s empty?Build for an ideal five orders. Prepare for zero or a hundred.
Loading…
What if it’s loading?Communicate when a process is running, stalled, or good to go.
Handoff ready
What if nobody has to ask?Dev notes spell out the goal, so a developer can make a good call.
Partially refunded
What if it’s half-refunded?Statuses are rarely a simple yes or no. Make them readable at a glance.
A really, really long name that never ends
What if the name runs three lines?A perfect layout still has to meet imperfect data. Give long names a rule, like truncating at two lines.
jess@Enter a valid email
What if it’s wrong?Say what went wrong and how to fix it, right next to the field.
Refund orderNeeds approval
What if it’s disabled?Make it clear why, so nobody has to guess.
On hold
What if it’s stuck?Show why, and what happens next.

What I do

UI/UX designer and front-end developer

Strategy

Asking the right questions early. Research, outlines, and wireframes that shape the project around the right problem.

Interface design

Layouts, components, and design systems, designed to hold up when real content is added.

The what-ifs

Empty, loading, error, and overflow states, worked out before they turn up in QA.

The in-betweens

Dev notes a developer can build from, and the project management to see it through to launch.

Front-end

WordPress and custom front ends that behave the way the design promised, with content tools clients can actually use.

Designer, developer, or the one in between. Whatever the project needs.

The what-ifs

I find them by walking through every step of a flow and learning each client’s unique needs. Then I design an answer for each one.

OrderReady to ship
Fulfill order
CustomerNorthline Builders
Ship to
PaymentPaid
Items
Hammer drill kit
Drill bit set
Work gloves
Subtotal
Shipping
Total

Comments 5

Toolkit

Design and process

  • Figma
  • Basecamp
  • Git
  • BrowserStack

Build

  • HTML and CSS
  • JavaScript
  • PHP
  • Laravel

WordPress

  • Roots Bedrock and Sage
  • Advanced Custom Fields
  • Custom themes

And Claude, where it fits.

Learning now

Easing, transitions, and web animation, plus Filament admin panels.

Also guitar. Not exactly a work tool, and after years of “learning,” not exactly a skill, either.

About

Jess Anderson, smiling, in a navy baseball cap, glasses, and a blue t-shirt
Currently

UX Developer at Fused Agency.Twelve years of web work across the Midwest, in the and between design and dev.

I’ve had a hand in every stage of a long-lived website: strategy, project management, design, development, and support. I spot the what-ifs early, so the design decisions hold up long after launch.

Give me a
shout.

Got a role, a project, or a what-if? I'm always up for talking about good work.

My client work stays private, but I'm happy to walk you through it.

jess@jessanderson.me