Benjamin Keating
About Me
Whether it be hardware or software, It's always been about user interfaces. I'm simply obsessed with dreaming them up, building them out, and whittling them down until one of two things happens; They become skeuomorphic or invisible. I'm not talking just the pixels and knobs, but everything behind them that is necessary to yield the very best experience. Within all of this is a deep-rooted passion for designing for scale and longevity. Interfaces you can rely on.
When I'm not focused on user interfaces I'm spending time with my kids trying to be the best dad I can be, while taking in all the experience I possibly can to help connect people and make my time here count.
Objective
To build amazing things with wonderful people. To be the teacher and the student. To pay back my mentors by mentoring it forward. To listen so I can better understand. To enjoy how.
Case Studies
Showcased Works Reflecting My Journey in Full Stack UI/UX Engineering and Creative Problem Solving.
Skills
Design
- 20+ years in UI/UX, graphic design
- Power user of Ai, Id, Ps, Xd, Figma, Sketch
- Master of mock-ups, wire-frames and napkin sketches
- Fluent in motion design and micro-interactions
- Rapid iteration champion; Designs-in-code
- A seasoned veteran of responsive design
- Proficient in working on design systems
- “An Engineer’s Designer”
Develop
- 20+ years in PHP, Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Exceptional in Django, Node, React, Svelte, Tailwind
- Pixel-perfect CSS (can match mock-ups perfectly)
- Solid Relational and NoSQL database experience
- Relentless Automator but doesn’t over-abstract
- Versatile in PWA and SPA development stacks
- Solid foundation in Git and its advanced uses
- An ardent supporter of reactive programming
- Skilled in building REST and GraphQL APIs
- Responsible for longevity and maintenance
Systems
- 20+ years in UNIX system administration
- Ubuntu, Gentoo (Stage 0), FreeBSD, OpenBSD
- Graffana, Splunk, Nagios, New Relic, CloudWatch
- Competent in Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, LXC
- Shell scripting power user (Bash, Python, Perl)
- Experienced in hardware forensics and data recovery
- Effective DNS experience using BIND, djbdns, squid
- Administrator of Sendgrid, Sendmail, qmail, postfix
- Circuit soldering and hardware troubleshooting
- Shell scripting power user (Bash, zsh)
Work History
Director of UI/UX
Specifically sought out by the CTO to spearhead the development of innovative software solutions, significantly enhancing IT morale and collaboration. I led the design and implementation of a custom, agricultural-aware CRM system, revolutionizing customer management for some 50k customers across 60 locations and dramatically improving customer satisfaction.
Senior Software Engineer / UX Engineer
Secured AWS Cloud certification and enhanced the design system, leading market research that expanded our virtual athletic competition SaaS client base by 25%. My work in developing innovative solutions and advocating for Svelte and reactive programming significantly boosted project success and efficiency.
Full-stack Developer
Designer & Developer / Product Marketing Engineer
Engineered cutting-edge Laboratory Information Management and dairy farm automation software written in Django, adopted by major industry corporations; led development using React, GraphQL, and JavaScript; Orchestrated highly effective marketing strategies which resulted in expo bylaws needing to be rewritten.
President, Board Member
Personal IT/Sysadmin Assistant
UNIX System Administrator
Sysadmin, Designer & Developer
My contributions were pivotal in establishing and enhancing design systems for brand continuity, effectively branding initiatives like TEDxDeExtinction and creating logos for key projects such as The Interval and the Rosetta Project. I helped launch and growth of the Membership program, expanding our community to over 12,000 members. I supported the inclusion of the Rosetta Project in the ESA comet mission, highlighting our commitment to preserving human languages and promoting linguistic diversity, and led the digital overhaul of our primary websites using Django, jQuery, and MySQL, ensuring seamless migration from legacy systems. My role also encompassed managing comprehensive A/V needs for events, closely collaborating with venue staff on coordination, and executing a full migration of our server infrastructure to AWS, significantly boosting our operational efficiency and future scalability.
Designer, Programmer, Sysadmin
My career as a knowledge worker started here, when I was lucky enough to convince the boss to move me from the factory floor to the front office to help design our product brochures and establish a web presence. This eventually led to working with an investor and taking on the challenge of creating an inventory and invoicing system written in PHP & MySQL on a LAMP stack.
Volunteer Work
Founder, East Troy Computer Club
- Presented on 70+ original topics.
- Created and grew the club to 400+ Members.
- Designed logos, and signage for community / local govt.
- Led transparency projects, workshops, and mentorship.
- Enhanced digital literacy and tech skills with educators.
- Featured in PBS’s Around the Corner with John McGivern (S04E13).
Imagineer, East Troy Lights
- Built initial PoC using Python on a Raspberry Pi.
- Key contributor in development and creative strategy.
- As seen in Midwest Living, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Milwaukee Magazine.
References
Before contacting the companies listed above or to obtain a list of additional references please contact me via email or phone. References will be sent out upon request. Letters of recommendation are also available.
Life Calendar
Each square amounts to a week. Each row, a year. The red dot is now and the total sum represents 82 years of life. Slower is faster. Less is more. Enjoy it.
6th week of year 41