My Skills
I build responsive, high-performing digital experiences using cutting-edge web technologies including Javascript, Typescript, React, Next, and Supabase.
I create frictionless user journeys and easy-to-navigate interfaces that boost engagement and accomplish business objectives.
I optimize for conversions and sales with analytics-driven insights from Google Analytics, Optimizely, and Python libraries like pandas and matplotlib.
What I Provide
5 Ways a UX Engineer (Like Me) Can Help Your Team
My work as a user-experience engineer spans the realms of design, development, and product strategy. Here's what I bring to the table:
1. A Bridge Between Design and Dev: UX engineers are the essential link between design and dev teams, translating design concepts into technical requirements while improving cross-team collaboration.
2. Rapid Prototyping: I speed up testing and iteration by helping the design team create proof-of-concept prototypes using real code.
3. Precision in Implementation: I can accurately translate complex design ideas into fully functional interfaces, maintaining the original design vision while ensuring a seamless user experience.
4. User-Focused Development: My code follows UX best practices like responsive design, accessibility, and predictable navigation.
5. Tech Translator: I blend my engineering expertise with my UX skills in empathy, communication, and copywriting to break down technical concepts for non-technical users and stakeholders.
Certifications & Education
Software Engineer
1,000+ hours of coding experience in new and legacy full-stack technologies, computer science foundations, and agile methodologies.
Javascript Developer
Passed certifications for Javascript, React, and Node.js, demonstrating proficiency in core concepts and frameworks.
Python Data Analyst
Achieved profieciency in Python data and visualization libraries, as well as foundations in machine learning and exploratory data analysis.
BA & MA in English
Received a Master's Degree in English Literature and a BA in English with minors in Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies.
Recent Projects
Tom's Planet Facts
Front-End Development
|React
|Typescript
|Tailwind CSS
|Zustand
|Figma
This dynamic single-page application (SPA) that guides users through the wonders of the solar system. I developed this project using Vite, Typescript, React, Tailwind CSS, and Figma designs sourced from FrontEndMentor.com. To ensure seamless navigation and a crisp UX, I integrated Zustand (a lightweight but powerful global state management library) along with custom animations for the planets and stars to bring the app to life.
Beat Trends
Front-End Development
|D3
|React
|Python
|Pandas
|Web Scraping
|Data Visualization
|Data Analysis
Beat Trends is an interactive graphing app that visualizes the popularity of different dance music genres and artists over time. I started by building a specialized web scraper using Python and Selenium to gether historical data from the Beatport Top 100. After collecting data from the first of each month for the past decade, I used Pandas to clean it up and organize it into JSONs organized by year. For the final touch, I combined React and the powerful graph library D3.js to design the UI and visualize the data, making the app both informative and interactive.
Girl Camper UX & Analytics Audit
UX/UI
|Google Analytics
|Crazy Egg
|Data Analysis
|UX Optimization
I was hired to conduct a UX and analytics audit for Girl Camper, a popular camping and RVing site for women with over a million followers. I utilized Google Analytics and Crazy Egg to track user behavior and analyze the data, identifying areas for improvement and optimization. After compiling my findings, I made several recommendations including an overhaul of the hero section based on UX best practices, a reordering of the homepage sections according to user behavior analytics, and revisions to the user onboarding flow designed to reduce friction and increase sign-ups. My insights are currently being used to guide an overhaul of the site. New metrics will be available soon!
NFL Score Predictor
Python
|Machine Learning
|Sci-Kit Learn
|Pandas
|Flask
|Web Scraping
|React/Vite
|Heroku
This app integrates Python-driven machine learning with a JavaScript frontend, enabling users to predict the outcome of games between NFL teams from the last 20 years. I collected historical NFL data of scores and team statistic using a custom web scraper, producing CSVs that I then cleaned and refined using pandas. This data fueled the training of over a hundred machine learning models, leveraging regularization, feature engineering, and hyperparameter optimization. After assessing these models for accuracy, I used the most effective one to forecast the 2023 NFL playoffs, where it predicted 70% of games correctly. The app utilizes a Flask API to serve static React frontend files and fetch predictions from the Python backend for user display.
Higher Self Yoga User Journey
UX Design
|Product Strategy
|Figma
This user journey map for Higher Self Yoga follows the progression of users from initial discovery to premium subscription. The pathway I developed gently guides users from initial touchpoints across various marketing channels directly to Higher Self Yoga's main website, and ultimately, to a comprehensive community, class, and coaching ecosystem hosted on Circle. The key was to demonstrate the unique value of Higher Self Yoga's offerings at each step, presenting users with a mix of freely accessible content and premium opportunities to deepen their practice.
My Portfolio (This Site)
Front-End Development
|Astro
|React
|Typescript
|Tailwind CSS
For this portfolio, I decided to use the static site generator Astro due to its lightning fast loading times. I used typescirpt for type-saftey and an improved DX, and for CSS I utilized Tailwind for rapid component styling. Even though Astro is designed to ship without JavaScript by default, I found it straightforward to integrate React for those components where interactivity or dynamic data was necessary.
Here's what my clients have to say.
Tom's data-driven approach to website optimization was a game-changer for our agency. His ability to translate analytics into actionable insights led to a remarkable increase in our conversion rates across all of our clients, and his development knowledge was invaluable in implementing these changes.
Tom is a person you want on your team. Dependable, efficient, and extremely talented, Tom is a rare breed that can dig in deep into a project and then present it beautifully. He has an eye for beautiful interfaces, the knowledge to back up his choices, and the skill to craft high-end products.