Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Union Metrics needed to modernise two critical legacy codebases that were difficult to maintain and hindering performance. The challenge was to migrate these codebases to Rails 4, enhance security, and improve system performance.
Scope of Work:
- Involved in migration and refactoring efforts, focusing on maintainability and performance improvements. This included updating the codebases, completing quality assurance testing, and optimising performance-critical sections.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Collaborated with a small team of developers and worked closely with IT and support teams to ensure minimal disruption.
Tools and Environment:
- Ruby on Rails, ActiveRecord, RSpec, JavaScript, jQuery, MySQL, Git, Vagrant, Jenkins.
Key Contributions:
- Migrated and refactored two legacy codebases to Rails 4 by improving maintainability and security, which enhanced system performance by 20%.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Improved system performance by 20%.
Learning and Development:
- This project refined my skills in legacy system modernisation and emphasised the importance of security and maintainability in large codebases.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- Internal stakeholders noted improved system stability and efficiency, contributing to faster customer issue resolution and reduced technical debt.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Bypass Mobile needed a robust product licensing platform to manage and distribute licenses efficiently. The challenge was to design and implement a scalable solution using JSON-API specifications.
Scope of Work:
- Developed the licensing platform as part of a small team, resolving technical issues in the development environment and conducting code reviews to ensure high-quality, scalable solutions.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Worked closely with a small development team, collaborating on design, implementation, and testing.
Tools and Environment:
- Ruby on Rails, JSON-API, ActiveRecord, MySQL, Git, GitHub, Vagrant.
Key Contributions:
- Developed a JSON-API licensing platform using Ruby on Rails, enabling efficient license management for the product suite.
- Resolved development environment issues by optimising workflows, which improved team productivity.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Improved licensing management efficiency, streamlining operations and supporting product distribution.
Learning and Development:
- This project strengthened my expertise in API development and enhanced my ability to work in small, fast-paced teams.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- The platform was successfully deployed, allowing the company to manage licensing more effectively and support future product growth.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Hack Reactor needed a scalable solution to provide students with mock interview feedback, addressing the limited capacity of career services. The challenge was to develop an app that could automate and increase the feedback volume while maintaining quality.
Scope of Work:
- Designed and developed the mock interview app, enabling students to record interviews and receive automated feedback. This significantly expanded the career services’ capacity to provide valuable mock interview experience to more students.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Collaborated with career services and instructional staff to align app functionality with student needs.
Tools and Environment:
- JavaScript, jQuery, HTML, CSS, Git, Heroku.
Key Contributions:
- Built a mock interview app by leveraging jQuery and HTML/CSS, exponentially increasing career services' capacity to provide interview feedback.
- Automated interview feedback processes by integrating common interview questions, improving student preparedness for real-world job interviews.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Increased career services' feedback capacity, allowing significantly more students to receive interview support.
- Enhanced job placement rates by improving students’ interview preparedness.
Learning and Development:
- This project refined my ability to develop scalable, user-centric applications and enhanced my understanding of automating educational tools.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- Career services reported a substantial increase in student success rates in mock interviews, which contributed to higher job placement rates.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Condé Nast required a scalable paywall system to increase subscription revenue across its media brands, such as Vanity Fair and Wired. The challenge was building a reusable, brand-agnostic paywall architecture to boost reader engagement and optimise subscription conversion.
Scope of Work:
- Developed the paywall architecture and components, which could be used across multiple brands. Worked with cross-functional teams to ensure the system integrated smoothly with each brand's unique needs while enhancing SEO and reader experience.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Collaborated with multiple teams, including UI/UX designers and backend engineers, to develop and optimise the paywall components.
Tools and Environment:
- ReactJS, NodeJS, Puppeteer, TypeScript, SASS, Jenkins, CI/CD.
Key Contributions:
- Built and iterated on a brand-agnostic paywall architecture using ReactJS components, which increased subscriptions by 100% year-over-year for Vanity Fair and Wired.
- Improved SEO and user engagement by optimising paywall performance, which enhanced reader interaction across 26 media brands.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Increased subscription revenue by 100% year-over-year for significant brands.
- Boosted SEO rankings and user engagement across all implemented brands.
Learning and Development:
- This project taught me valuable lessons in performance optimisation and scalable architecture for large media platforms.
Post-Launch Maintenance:
- Continued to iterate on the paywall components and supported backend teams to ensure smooth operation and integration across brands.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- The success of the paywall system contributed to significant growth in subscription revenue, earning positive feedback from business and technical teams alike.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- WorkTango's existing Rewards platform, originally built on Ruby on Rails, needed modernisation to improve performance, user engagement, and scalability. The challenge was re-architecting the front-end using ReactJS while ensuring seamless integration with backend systems.
Scope of Work:
- Led a team to transition the platform’s front end from Ruby on Rails to ReactJS while implementing a modular design system and collaborating with backend developers and UI/UX designers for integration across the Performance Management and Rewards platforms.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Led a front-end development team of 3 engineers and worked closely with back-end developers and UI/UX designers to ensure smooth integration.
Tools and Environment:
- ReactJS, Storybook, NodeJS, TypeScript, GraphQL, Ruby on Rails, ActiveRecord, PostgreSQL.
Key Contributions:
- Re-architected the Rewards platform from Ruby on Rails to ReactJS by implementing a modular design system, which improved customer engagement by 15%.
- Optimised front-end performance, reducing page load times by 30%, which enhanced user experience across the platform.
- Collaborated with backend teams to integrate new features for performance tracking and reward redemption, streamlining the product suite.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Increased customer engagement by 15%, measured through user interaction metrics.
- Reduced page load times by 30%, leading to a more responsive and enjoyable user experience.
Learning and Development:
- This project deepened my expertise in ReactJS and modular design systems, solidifying my leadership skills in guiding cross-functional teams through significant architectural changes.
Post-Launch Maintenance:
- Provided ongoing support post-launch, monitoring platform performance and addressing issues as users interacted with the newly re-architected platform.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- Users and stakeholders reported improved satisfaction with the platform’s performance and design, contributing to higher customer retention and increased use of the Rewards platform.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Mexic-Arte Museum needed to maintain public engagement while undergoing renovations, which required the museum and its collection to be accessible exclusively online. The challenge was to evaluate the museum's resources and determine the best solution for creating a sustainable, volunteer-managed digital presence.
Scope of Work:
- Worked with a team to strategically analyse the museum’s resources, evaluate possible web solutions, and develop a comprehensive recommendation. Researched various platforms and tools, focusing on usability for non-technical volunteers. Findings were presented to the board of trustees for approval.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Collaborated with a team of 4, analysing different options and solutions, and presented our recommendations to the museum’s board of trustees.
Tools and Environment:
- HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Squarespace.
Key Contributions:
- Led a team in strategic analysis of the problem and available resources, resulting in a comprehensive proposal for the board of trustees.
- Researched and evaluated multiple digital solutions to ensure the museum’s collection could be easily maintained by volunteers, providing the board with clear, actionable options.
- Presented recommended solutions to the board of trustees by outlining the benefits, costs, and volunteer-friendly features of each option, leading to the selection of Squarespace as the final platform.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Presented a cost-effective, easy-to-maintain solution, leading to increased online donations and sustained visitor interaction during the museum’s closure.
Learning and Development:
- This project enhanced my ability to approach problems strategically, working with cross-functional teams to assess resources, explore solutions, and communicate effectively with stakeholders.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- The museum’s board of trustees praised the thoroughness of the analysis.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Award-winning author Jon Cohn needed a mobile-first, low-maintenance website to promote his book Slashtag and increase sales. The challenge was to create a responsive, user-friendly site that could be managed independently without ongoing technical support.
Scope of Work:
- Handled the full development of the website, working closely with the client to design and implement a mobile-first solution that aligned with the author's vision and marketing goals.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- This was a solo project where I managed all phases of development, from design through deployment.
Tools and Environment:
- Bootstrap, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, GitHub Pages, Git.
Key Contributions:
- Developed a fully responsive, mobile-first website using Bootstrap, which improved book sales by 20% in the first month.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Increased book sales by 10% within the first three months.
- Improved user engagement by 15%, as indicated by website interaction metrics.
Learning and Development:
- This project honed my skills in responsive design and taught me valuable lessons in user-centric design and managing client relationships.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- Jon Cohn praised the website for its professional design and ease of use, which directly contributed to higher book sales.
Curriculum Development and Training | Various (General Assembly, Hack Reactor, The Flatiron School, Etc.) | 2015 - Present
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Across multiple educational platforms, there was a need for comprehensive, industry-relevant curriculum and engaging lesson delivery to prepare students for the rapidly evolving tech industry. The challenge was to create and adapt curricula that would effectively teach software engineering concepts, web accessibility, and Agile methodologies to diverse cohorts of students.
Scope of Work:
- Collaborated with several organisations to develop and deliver curricula on various software engineering topics. Responsible for designing course materials, teaching full-time and part-time programs, and mentoring students to ensure their success in technical roles.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Worked with other instructors and curriculum developers across organisations to ensure materials were current and aligned with industry needs.
Tools and Environment:
- JavaScript, ReactJS, Python, Flask, PostgreSQL, CI/CD, Web Accessibility, Agile.
Key Contributions:
- Developed and delivered full-stack software engineering curricula covering topics such as ReactJS, Python, and web accessibility, preparing students for the workforce in fast-paced tech environments.
- Led workshops and live coding sessions to teach core technical skills, resulting in high student engagement and improved job placement outcomes across all programs.
- Mentored and coached junior engineers by providing tailored feedback and career advice, equipping students with the tools to succeed in software development roles.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Achieved a 90% graduation rate and a 75% job placement rate within 6 months of program completion across multiple cohorts.
- Improved student satisfaction scores through personalised mentorship and industry-aligned curricula.
Learning and Development:
- This work enhanced my skills in training design, remote instruction, and mentoring diverse groups of junior engineers, gaining a deep understanding of evolving industry requirements.
Post-Launch Maintenance:
- Continued to update curricula to reflect the latest trends in technology and maintain strong job placement outcomes while offering ongoing support and mentorship to graduates.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- Students and industry partners consistently praised the quality of the curricula and teaching, with many students successfully securing roles at top tech companies following graduation.
Problem Statement/Challenge:
- Read the Room Education, a non-profit organisation, needed website enhancements to engage their audience and promote educational programs. The challenge was to improve the site’s mobile responsiveness and implement a mechanism to grow their mailing list.
Scope of Work:
- Assessed the existing website and implemented design and content enhancements focused on user engagement and accessibility. Integrated Mailchimp to capture visitor information and grow the mailing list.
Team Size and Collaboration:
- Worked directly with the organisation’s leadership team to align website improvements with organisational goals.
Tools and Environment:
- Squarespace, Mailchimp, Canva.
Key Contributions:
- Integrated Mailchimp for newsletter signups by embedding a custom form, which grew the mailing list by 40%.
- Optimised the mobile layout using responsive design techniques, increasing mobile engagement by 25%.
- Reorganised the content structure to highlight educational programs, making it easier for visitors to find relevant information quickly.
Metrics and KPIs:
- Increased user engagement by 25% within three months of launch.
- Grew the mailing list by 40% in the first quarter after the website enhancements.
Learning and Development:
- This project reinforced my skills in responsive design and integrating third-party services like Mailchimp into a content management system.
Post-Launch Maintenance:
- Provided post-launch support for two months, monitoring site performance and making adjustments based on user feedback.
Stakeholders and Impact:
- The leadership team reported a significant improvement in audience engagement and highlighted the mailing list growth as key to their outreach efforts.