Back to Mackley Studios

A closer look at the engineering.

The technical approach behind the work, for anyone who wants the details.

Understand the problem before choosing the solution.

I start with what your business and its customers need to do. I trace the relevant workflow through the interface, services, and data, identify the constraints, and explain the options. We agree on a direction and a milestone that lets us check whether the change addresses the problem.

Make the decisions visible in the working software.

In PaySegue, the payment screen is part of the invoice workflow. I built the application around successful payments, failures, and refunds so those transitions stay with the invoice’s history. That is the kind of decision I work through with clients: what should happen, how the systems support it, and how we will check the result. Read the PaySegue case study.

PaySegue dark-mode draft invoice summary with a payment link, a $3,600 invoice total, processing costs, and estimated net payment.
Review the invoice totalThe payment link, invoice total, processing costs, and estimated net payment.

From the idea to the app your customers use.

I bring product design, software architecture, implementation, testing, and quality assurance together, so the decisions fit the app and the business from the start. You have one person who understands how the pieces work together and takes responsibility for the result.

Tabularia dark-mode workspace with The Count of Monte Cristo, its chapter outline, and page minimap.
Manuscript workspaceThe chapter outline, manuscript page, and minimap together in dark mode.

AI speeds up the work. Experience guides it.

I decide what needs to be built, choose the tools, and guide AI through the design and implementation. I review the code, check performance, and test how the app actually behaves. That includes the details customers notice, from a sensible workflow to a screen that fits their phone. I remain responsible for what reaches production.

Web, native, or both.

I build React Native apps and progressive web apps, or PWAs: web apps that people can install on their phones and computers and open like any other app. Each suits different needs, from device features and app store distribution to a single codebase that updates everywhere at once. I help you choose the approach that fits your product and your customers.

Grow App Store promotional image showing a mobile Sales & Marketing dashboard with sales, revenue, advertising, conversion, and order-value charts.
Sales & Marketing dashboardMobile business intelligence dashboards bringing sales, marketing, and financial metrics together.

Engineering approach and technologies

Product development

Turn a product idea into production software, or bring senior engineering to a product already underway. I work across product decisions, interface design, architecture, web and mobile development, testing, and deployment.

Modernization & problem solving

Improve software that has become difficult to maintain, unreliable, or slow to develop. I investigate the system, identify the underlying problems, and work through the changes needed to make it easier to develop and operate.

Architecture & technical direction

Make architectural decisions, design systems and APIs, improve development workflows, and help teams work through difficult technical problems. I contribute directly to the code while taking responsibility for the larger technical direction.

AI integration & automation

Build AI-assisted product features, agent workflows, MCP integrations, and development automation where they create practical value.

I also use these tools in my own engineering work. I remain responsible for the architecture, interface, code review, testing, and what reaches production.

I set up branching and deployment strategies suited to the team, with automated checks, reviewed changes, and clear steps for releasing and recovering software in production. Architecture, access controls, and data handling are part of keeping your app dependable.

Performance, design, and quality need deliberate decisions.

I apply computer science and architecture principles to keep work focused on the data and parts of the app that need it. I review AI-generated code for unnecessary processing, unsuitable tools, and shortcuts that make the product slower or harder to maintain. Interface design needs the same attention, including responsive layouts, overflow, navigation, accessibility, and how a person will use the feature.

The systems behind your app.

My work covers frontend interfaces, backend services, databases, cloud infrastructure, and security. I have built live updates and synchronization across devices, using technologies such as WebSockets, and connect AI assistants to application tools through MCP. That breadth lets me trace a problem across the system and make decisions that fit your product’s needs.

Languages

  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • PHP
  • Python
  • Ruby
  • Go

Interfaces & apps

  • React
  • React Native
  • Next.js
  • Astro
  • jQuery
  • Redux
  • Zustand
  • Highcharts

Backend & data

  • Laravel
  • CodeIgniter
  • Node.js
  • GraphQL
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • MongoDB
  • Neo4j
  • Elasticsearch
  • Prisma
  • Stripe
  • Resend

Cloud & delivery

  • Cloudflare
  • Workers
  • D1
  • R2
  • Durable Objects
  • AWS
  • Google Cloud
  • Vercel
  • Linux
  • Docker
  • Apache
  • NGINX

Development & testing

  • Git
  • GitHub
  • VS Code
  • pnpm
  • Jest
  • Vitest
  • Playwright
  • ESLint

Design & publishing

  • Figma
  • Affinity Designer
  • Affinity Photo
  • Webflow
  • WordPress
  • Drupal
  • Squarespace

Agentic tools

  • Claude Code
  • ChatGPT
  • MCP

My current Cloudflare work spans Pages, Workers, D1, R2, and Durable Objects, from website delivery to application services, storage, and real-time synchronization. I also have experience with AWS and Google Cloud. Beyond individual tools, my work spans REST APIs, SQL and NoSQL data modeling, distributed systems, and CI/CD.