Ali B.

Projects

Over the years I've been lucky enough for my work to align with my values.

Alongside my entrepreneurship I am primarily a designer and full-stack developer. Many people know me from the world of technology education, but my professional interests lie in crypto/socioeconomics, infosec/AI, and campaign/election technology.*

I also enjoy a number of projects away from the screen.

* Go on, click me TOUCH ME

2020

Moving towards joy

  • Screenshot of Entre-purrrr-neurship website

    Entre-purrrr-neurship

    You protect your computer from threats you can't see. Now's the time to protect it from those you can CUDDLE. Cutting-edge AI that definitely won't replace you.

    Download KeyPaws View GitHub

  • Screenshot of Learning to draw website

    Learning to draw

    This year I am learning to draw as I'd love to be a better illustrator and it's a beautifully meditative thing to do and gets me away from the screen. I am learning with the help of a painting and drawing course with the London Art College and a fantastic book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. So far I'm really enjoying it and will aim to post regular updates here.

  • Screenshot of Automating myself website

    Automating myself

    All web projects share the same foundations. JAMstack Starter condenses my sixteen years of experience building accessible and privacy-friendly websites and apps into an open-source starter template to robustly jumpstart new projects.

    View example site Fork on GitHub

2018/19

The Wilderness Years

  • Screenshot of Lead Lecturer @ Ada, National College for Digital Skills website

    Lead Lecturer @ Ada, National College for Digital Skills

    In 2018 Ada needed someone to come in and finesse the design and delivery of their Software Developer and Data Analyst courses for apprentices from organisations including Google, Facebook and Hackney Council.

    Visit Ada

  • Screenshot of Can I Vote? website

    Can I Vote?

    Collaborating with Small Axe designer Rosalba Ellis, Can I Vote highlighted to Commonwealth citizens that they were eligible to vote in the 2019 General Election

    View site

  • Screenshot of Verto website

    Verto

    I led a skunkworks team of designers, developers, researchers, copywriters and influencers to create Verto, a campaigning tool that weaves together survey and story telling via short interactive video articles that educate, provoke and inspire.

    Play Verto

2016-18

Developing new interests

  • Screenshot of Co-founder: Blox website

    Co-founder: Blox

    Blox was a social network for buildings enabling communities to thrive and alternative socioeconomic systems to flourish. We were incubated by the Finance Innovation Lab's Financial Health Fellowship.

    Financial Health Fellowship

  • Screenshot of Progressive Alliance website

    Progressive Alliance

    For the 2017 election I joined Compass to help them launch the Progressive Alliance. We delivered the UK's first tactical voting tool of the 2017 General Election, as well as a host of other innovations. Beyond the screen I helped run a Barnstorm in Carlisle.

    View at CHD

  • Screenshot of The Other website

    The Other

    With long-time collaborator Clarisse O'Dell we designed and built a set of 'robot lights' for Rebecca Evans' contemporary dance The Other.

    Visit the project

2009 - 2015

Full-time technology education

  • Screenshot of Co-founder @ Decoded website

    Co-founder @ Decoded

    I was CTO and Head of Innovation at Decoded, a global technology education company that has taught hundreds of thousands of people key digital skills.

    Visit Decoded

  • Screenshot of Creative Director @ .web{Devign} website

    Creative Director @ .web{Devign}

    .web{devign} was run as a co-op and there were three of us in the studio by the time I went full-time on Decoded in 2011. We built standards-compliant, accessible websites for charities, personalities and small businesses.

    Visit .web{devign} on the Wayback Machine