Greg Wardwell

I developed a lazy loading node package for use on all of Sweetwater's websites. The package allows lazy loading:
• images;
• picture elements;
• background images;
• and iframes.

I developed the package with simplicity in mind. It is based on the IntersectionObserver API and includes an array of simple methods for adding elements to the lazy loading queue. Additionally, I developed a Vue.js directive to add lazy loading to images, backgrounds, etc. in Vue.js components.

As a way of improving Sweetwater's development strategy across its array of websites, I enacted code guidelines for Sass and JavaScript development. This included compiling the guideline documentation as well as ESLint and StyleLint rulesets for enforcing those guidelines. As it stands, all new Node packages and projects are being developed according to the new guidelines and there is active progress on moving existing projects to these guidelines.

I developed the build process for project resources, which consists of:
• Sass;
• SVG icon sprite;
• and JavaScript bundles.

The first iteration of this process leveraged Gulp for Sass and icon sprite compilation and Webpack for JavaScript bundling. That process went live in November, 2016.

To fix some performance issues related to using Gulp for compiling Sass and to fix some JavaScript bundle bloat, I redeveloped the process to make use of NPM scripts and Webpack, via… Show more

I developed the build process for project resources, which consists of:
• Sass;
• SVG icon sprite;
• and JavaScript bundles.

The first iteration of this process leveraged Gulp for Sass and icon sprite compilation and Webpack for JavaScript bundling. That process went live in November, 2016.

To fix some performance issues related to using Gulp for compiling Sass and to fix some JavaScript bundle bloat, I redeveloped the process to make use of NPM scripts and Webpack, via Laravel-mix. This dramatically improved performance and simplified the overall process. This second iteration of the build system went live in June, 2017. Show less

I led the development of the Sweetwater Music Store new large-scale, touch enabled "Digital Warehouse" shopping kiosks. These kiosks provide customers with a way to explore products not on display in the store. As project lead, I:
• Managed the various aspects of the project, from back-end development to technology selection.
• Wireframed the user interface, solving for the scale and accessibility of the display.
• Managed the finalized design of the interface.
• Developed the… Show more

I led the development of the Sweetwater Music Store new large-scale, touch enabled "Digital Warehouse" shopping kiosks. These kiosks provide customers with a way to explore products not on display in the store. As project lead, I:
• Managed the various aspects of the project, from back-end development to technology selection.
• Wireframed the user interface, solving for the scale and accessibility of the display.
• Managed the finalized design of the interface.
• Developed the front-end user experience.
• Worked alongside the programmers to flesh our the PHP and MySQL back-end.
• Developed the Chrome Application that powers the kiosk. Show less

This project was designed as an exploration of the implementation of point-of-sale kiosks for the impending retail store expansion. We developed a touchscreen kiosk showcasing Sweetwater's Guitar Gallery products. My role included:
• Project lead
• Managed the design process, ensuring the usability of the design on a large-scale display.
• Developed the front-end code and worked alongside the programmer to flesh out the PHP and MySQL programming.
• Developed an on-screen keyboard to… Show more

This project was designed as an exploration of the implementation of point-of-sale kiosks for the impending retail store expansion. We developed a touchscreen kiosk showcasing Sweetwater's Guitar Gallery products. My role included:
• Project lead
• Managed the design process, ensuring the usability of the design on a large-scale display.
• Developed the front-end code and worked alongside the programmer to flesh out the PHP and MySQL programming.
• Developed an on-screen keyboard to replace the software keyboard provided by the chosen platform. Show less

The goal of this project was to reimagine Sweetwater's aging Wish List with a modern, more customer friendly interface as well as add new features to make managing saved products easier and more enjoyable. My role included:
• Designing the user interface.
• Developing the front-end code and overall user experience.
• Programming the supporting back-end using PHP and MySQL.
• Integrated sharing systems as well as a warehouse-request feature.

With the 2014 redesign of Sweetwater's product detail page, I chose to focus on overall clarity of content. To achieve this, I:
• Moved to a responsive design to better tailor the content to the variety of customer devices.
• Showcased larger product images, adjusting the image layout based on product dimensions.
• Improved the flow of content and options for better clarity.
• Simplified the design of the product options and content to aid readability.

One of the most noteworthy projects I've worked on was 360 degree spin. I was tasked with adding a high-dpi 360 degree spin product viewer to the product pages on Sweetwater.com. This provided a unique challenge as I was told to use the largest photos we had available while still making it FAST! To pull it off, I:
• Developed the code to deliver the sequence of spin images
• Tailoring the code to understand device constraints, taking into account screen size and device type.
• Use… Show more

One of the most noteworthy projects I've worked on was 360 degree spin. I was tasked with adding a high-dpi 360 degree spin product viewer to the product pages on Sweetwater.com. This provided a unique challenge as I was told to use the largest photos we had available while still making it FAST! To pull it off, I:
• Developed the code to deliver the sequence of spin images
• Tailoring the code to understand device constraints, taking into account screen size and device type.
• Use tricks of logic to make the spin responsive while simultaneously loading the images.
• Use a combination of low-resolution and high-resolution images to better improve responsiveness. Show less

Mobile traffic has grown over 40% YOY for the last three years after updating the existing mobile version of Sweetwater.com and reimagining it for the modern smartphone and for a contemporary shopping experience. Due to the complexity of the website, our approach was to use device detection rather than responsive design. I created the specification, roadmap, and scope of the project as well as for managing the design and development.

Our goals were to make it easier to discover guitars as well as showcase the amazing variety of guitars we carry. I worked with a team of designers to create the new look and feel of Guitar Gallery. Once the design was fully conceived,I worked closely with one of our programmers, Dan Schafer, to flesh out the user interface and the back-end programming.

To adapt to the changing way our customers choose to consume their content, Sweetwater chose to move from a weekly email periodical to a branded blogging experience. My role for this project included:
• Creating the initial designs, which were then handed to the designer to be expanded upon. I led the remaining design.
• I developed the user interface around the content that was collected and consolidated from Sweetwater's archives.

I pitched the idea of undertaking a massive update to Sweetwater's aging checkout process. The project consisted of:
• Redesigning the convoluted, multipage process into an intuitive, single-page checkout.
• Replacing multiple page loads with an ajax-based process, reducing the overall time needed to complete a purchase.
• Empowering customers to complete a purchase in just six seconds through better integration of the data they choose to save in their user accounts.

In 2016, Sweetwater decided to revisit its product page once again. I was tasked with redesigning and developing the page with a focus on improving the functionality and usability of the page and further unifying the desktop and mobile versions of the page. Many of the components were developed using Vue.js, allowing me to test the technology for adoption as the front-end framework of Sweetwater.com.