1) Describe yourself in five words?
An outgoing, conscientious, tenacious, procrastinating workaholic.

2) Which design tool makes the biggest contribution to your creative output and why?
Since my output is completely code-related, I would have to say Dreamweaver CS4. Dreamweaver is an extremely powerful code editor with built-in Live preview using WebKit and the ability to interact with javascript, freeze the code and change dynamically applied CSS. The code completion and hinting along with the ability to vertically split my code (HTML/CSS/JS/PHP or the same document in two different places) and view and access all related includes and linked files is invaluable to the speed of my work.

3) Tell us what you consider to be the most useful technique in the design/development process?
Wow. That’s an open-ended question. One thing I find extremely useful in my daily development is Internet Explorer Conditional Comments (IECC). I prefer not to exploit problems in a browser (hacks) but instead to target the version/s of IE I need to fix with specific rules only they see. This keeps my code more modular and much easier to maintain. If IE6 doesn’t see as attractive a site, that’s okay. But I always make sure all content is accessible.

4) Web creatives love designer fonts. What’s your favourite and why?
When I did design, I was a complete font junkie. Now, I either use the font the designer has used in the comp I’m coding or I create a web- safe font list (which is sadly very limited at present). Some progress
*must* be made soon on the web font front. It’s currently so boring.
In the interim, I’m investigating the sIFR 3 changes since that holds some promise.

5) What is the one tip that you would give to anyone trying to get into the industry?
This is a fast-paced industry. You can choose to know a little bit about a lot, or a lot about a specific area. There’s an area for every brain type. Once you’ve chosen the path you prefer, work your butt off. It will take hours and hours and hours to be good at what you do — and someone will always be better. Even if you choose for example, to work on the client-side, it’s still important to understand how the server-side works and what is possible. Never quit learning. Never rest on your laurels. This industry can be a very exciting and rewarding career path — especially for women.