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Dom da Costa
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Durban North, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Toptal member since February 10, 2020
Bio
Dom is a developer with over two decades of experience delivering digital products at scale. He's worked remotely and in digital agencies alike, and is always proactively evolving by trying out new ideas and technologies. He is fluent in UX design and bases his decisions on facts, stats, and analytics, and he collaborates well with colleagues and across disciplines.
Portfolio
Matterific
Vue, Firebase, Cloud Firestore, Firebase Hosting, Firebase Cloud Functions...
The Collaboration Studio
Firebase Web SDK, Cloud Firestore, Vue 2, Vuex, WordPress, CSS, WP Engine...
Cradleblock
Vue, Firebase, Cloud Firestore, Vuetify, Web3, ÐApp, MetaMask, Nuxt.js, XState...
Experience
- Technical Leadership - 15 years
- WordPress - 13 years
- Front-end - 10 years
- JavaScript - 10 years
- Vue - 5 years
- Firebase - 3 years
- Nuxt.js - 2 years
- XState - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Trello, Slack, InVision, Sketch, Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), HTML to WordPress, Tailwind CSS, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Full-stack
The most amazing...
...project I've worked on is a beautiful website with custom-tailored business features built for &Beyond, from strategy through development.
Work Experience
Architect
2022 - PRESENT
Matterific
- Architected and developed a non-opinionated CMS web platform, adaptable through the use of 'Matter' definition files, an innovative concept I devised. This foundational work paves the way for dynamic extensibility and unique customization.
- Created a JSON schema within the 'Matter' to define object structures and a UI schema integrated into a custom form system, fully developed from scratch. This dual-schema system provides robust control over entity definitions and interactions.
- Devised a method for defining an entity, incorporating field composition, validation rules, and viewing and editing UI elements. This elegant solution enhances the flexibility and adaptability of the platform.
- Introduced the capability to build custom entities via the CMS itself without coding. This unprecedented feature enhances the user-friendliness and extensibility of the platform.
- Overcame significant challenges to enable state machines to have sub-state machines capable of interpreting a custom user-generated flow. This ensures that created entities are always in the correct state and can process state-defined actions.
- Leveraged key technologies such as xState for state machines, JSON schema for entity structure, AJV for schema validation, Nuxt.js for static site generation, and Vuetify for UI capabilities. These enhance the platform's flexibility and robustness.
- Integrated modular architecture, empowering seamless extension and enhancement of the platform's capabilities. This flexible approach leverages additional features and functionalities while maintaining integrity and scalability.
- Onboarded and commenced development of the first three sites on the new platform, with several more slated for conversion from WordPress over the next year. This work showcases the platform's potential and adaptability.
Technologies: Vue, Firebase, Cloud Firestore, Firebase Hosting, Firebase Cloud Functions, XState, State Machines, JSON/XML Schemas, JavaScript, Schemas, Vuetify, Nuxt.js, Pinia, Responsive, Mobile Design, Technical Leadership, Sass, Tailwind CSS, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Full-stack, Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Founder and CTO
2020 - PRESENT
The Collaboration Studio
- Created a WordPress-based web platform built from a design system to allow agencies and digital businesses to create websites, including eCommerce through WooCommerce and user accounts with saved preferences and real-time search through Algolia.
- Launched two WooCommerce stores during lockdown in 2012.
- Created a bespoke system to collect, store, and use user preferences to show context-based content from their preferences and effectively allow for a custom web experience for individual users.
Technologies: Firebase Web SDK, Cloud Firestore, Vue 2, Vuex, WordPress, CSS, WP Engine, Design Systems, Algolia, SCSS, Web Design, JavaScript, Vue, Front-end, PHP, MySQL, Agile, Auth0, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, Web Development, Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Node.js, HTML, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), CSS3 Animation, Responsive, Mobile Design, Technical Leadership, WooCommerce, WordPress eCommerce, HTML to WordPress, Webpack, Sass, Tailwind CSS, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Full-stack, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), WordPress Multi-user, Dashboards
Front-end Architect
2022 - 2022
Cradleblock
- Designed and built a platform that facilitated the independent hosting of multiple projects on a shared codebase. This efficient architecture enabled fully customizable front ends through theming and significantly boosted operational efficiency.
- Seamlessly integrated Nuxt.js with several client CMSs, including Netlify CMS, Forestry.io, and Cloud Cannon. This effective integration allowed for smooth content management via a Git workflow.
- Automated deployments from GitHub Actions to Firebase Hosting, enhancing the delivery speed and reliability of the platform.
- Launched several DApps that integrated multiple Web 3.0 wallet connectors, such as MetaMask and Wallet Connect. This enabled users to connect their wallets and purchase NFTs directly from the sites, even on mobile.
- Solved major challenges associated with mobile Web 3.0 wallet integration, enabling a seamless user experience for mobile users to engage with the site and purchase NFTs.
- Successfully sold over $20 million worth of NFTs directly through the site, a testimony to the platform's effectiveness and market appeal.
- Onboarded hundreds of Web 3.0 wallets and users, significantly expanding the platform's user base and increasing its market reach.
Technologies: Vue, Firebase, Cloud Firestore, Vuetify, Web3, ÐApp, MetaMask, Nuxt.js, XState, Moralis, State Machines, Cryptocurrency Wallets, WalletConnect, LocalStorage, Non-fungible Tokens (NFT), HubSpot, Responsive, Mobile Design, Technical Leadership, WooCommerce, Webpack, Sass, Responsive Web Design (RWD), DApps, Blockchain, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Music
JavaScript Developer
2021 - 2022
ContractPod Technologies Limited
- Pioneered a complete overhaul of front-end performance, significantly improving page load speeds and delivering a more seamless user experience. This pivotal move resulted in fewer UI inconsistencies and a marked reduction in UI-related bugs.
- Successfully refactored a hybrid Vue + .NET application into a standalone Vue SPA, enhancing the maintainability and scalability of the codebase. This transition was a key move in aligning the app with modern front-end practices.
- Introduced Vue components to replace .NET elements in the app's headers and sidebars. This strategic move further aligned the app with Vue, enhancing UI consistency and simplifying the codebase.
- Implemented a robust theming system, centralizing over 100 individual color variables into named thematic variables. This key optimization paved the way for improved visual consistency, easier manageability, and more efficient customization.
- Incorporated the i18n library to enable multilingual screen functionality, significantly broadening user accessibility and inclusivity. This integration marked an important milestone in the app's international readiness.
- Integrated Elasticsearch, enabling powerful real-time search and filter functionality within an extensive legal document repository. This key enhancement dramatically improved data accessibility and user efficiency.
- Developed an innovative application launcher to facilitate the creation of new applications, boosting productivity and paving the way for future app expansion.
- Led the design and implementation of a complex roles and permissions system, leveraging the CASL library and introducing a wizard for ui administrative configurations. This strategic move considerably enhanced system security and configurability.
- Enforced strict coding standards to ensure maintainability, including the comprehensive usage of utility classes for CSS and the exclusion of 'magic numbers'. This enforcement led to a significant reduction in UI-related bugs and improved themability.
- Led comprehensive code reviews on all front-end contributions, ensuring every pull request adhered to high coding standards. This rigorous oversight improved overall code quality, encouraged best practices, and facilitated a more reliable dev process.
Technologies: Vue, CSS, Agile, .NET, Elasticsearch, Legacy Code, Migration, Responsive, Mobile Design, Technical Leadership, Webpack, Sass, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Bootstrap
Creative Technical Director
2016 - 2020
Cats & Shepherd
- Built and maintained various websites across multiple sectors, including several enterprise WordPress, eCommerce, and SaaS sites. Worked with clients across five time zones and countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the US.
- Designed and implemented the business's technical and creative processes and service offerings. Managed all technical projects and client relationships. Several of the projects and client relationships ran over many years.
- Helped conceive and build several internal tools for the marketing team, which were successfully used in campaigns ranging from referral mechanics to be used on social media campaigns to a multiscreen photo web app at live events.
- Built a custom WordPress system with the bespoke theme and an advanced custom fields-based 'block' system for building all our client websites.
- Created several standalone "MEAN" stack applications but used Vue instead of Angular.
Technologies: Node.js, SCSS, HTML, JavaScript, Vue, PHP, CSS, WP Engine, Design Systems, Algolia, Web Design, Front-end, WordPress, MySQL, Agile, Auth0, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, Prototyping, Web Development, Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), CSS3 Animation, Subscriptions, Membership Sites, Responsive, Mobile Design, Payment APIs, Stripe, Technical Leadership, WooCommerce, PayPal, WordPress eCommerce, HTML to WordPress, Webpack, Sass, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Full-stack, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), WordPress Multi-user, Data Visualization, Dashboards
Senior Developer
2014 - 2016
Derivco
- Designed, maintained, and safeguarded the mobile gaming architecture and delivered cutting-edge mobile games.
- Collaborated with other architects to redevelop the mobile gaming engine and framework. As a key stakeholder, I was in charge of architectural decisions, the development process, and training my team.
- Launched two of the most complex and successful games ever developed by the company for mobile in several international and regulated markets, with full multilingual support.
- Built and integrated the testing framework for the new gaming engine and framework to allow for automated testing using Selenium.
- Worked closely with every team in the mobile space, from art to game design, testing/QA, automation testing, and DevOps. I was the primary contact for all these teams and was in charge of keeping all the stakeholders engaged.
Technologies: Webpack, GreenSock, Lodash, Howler.js, PixiJS, ECMAScript (ES6), Canvas, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS, SCSS, Front-end, Agile, Web Development, User Interface (UI), Node.js, HTML, Animation, Responsive, Mobile Design, Technical Leadership, Sass, Responsive Web Design (RWD)
Creative Technology Lead
2008 - 2014
Zone
- Worked across most high-profile brands, including BT Vision, Coca-Cola, and the Nike Foundation, in the agency as a technical consultant and creative technology lead. Worked on campaigns and long-term projects.
- Managed a gun team of developers that produced some of the most high-profile content websites and campaigns in the agency at that time. We were primarily in charge of large-scale WordPress content sites and interactive JavaScript web apps.
- Led the technical projects for the team nominated for a Webby award for the Nike Foundations Girl Effect campaign. Acted as part of the concept team that came up with the idea to turn the physical installation into a digital experience.
- Ensured that the team was producing forward-thinking, beautifully crafted work, adopting the latest technologies and development methodologies to best practice and taking them from concept to prototype and then into production.
Technologies: DevOps, MySQL, Node.js, SCSS, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, WordPress, CSS, Front-end, Agile, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, Prototyping, Web Development, User Interface (UI), Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), CSS3 Animation, Responsive, Technical Leadership, HTML to WordPress, Sass, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Full-stack
Experience
Luxury Travel Website for &Beyond
An enterprise-scale WordPress network, housing several individual but related websites, with a bespoke hybrid PHP and Vue.js front end that is deeply integrated into Algolia Search. The content is driven by a dynamic component-based block system that allows for complete customizability of every page while still keeping the UI consistent.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project, responsible for all the technology choices, architecture of the WordPress plugins and theme and front-end system, and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch and InVision DSM.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on WPEngine through Git.
I have also implemented an automated visual testing process through Percy.io and Storybook. This allows for visual discrepancies to be caught before going live without individual users having to manually test pages.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team for over three years. We have weekly video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap, which is planned quarterly through strategy workshops.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project, responsible for all the technology choices, architecture of the WordPress plugins and theme and front-end system, and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch and InVision DSM.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on WPEngine through Git.
I have also implemented an automated visual testing process through Percy.io and Storybook. This allows for visual discrepancies to be caught before going live without individual users having to manually test pages.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team for over three years. We have weekly video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap, which is planned quarterly through strategy workshops.
eCommerce Site for Healthy Living
https://healthyhunnies.com/A WordPress and WooCommerce-based online store that offers users holistic and healthy product options. It also offers courses for users to sign up to and get one-on-one training on how to balance their lives and live healthier.
The site is a bespoke hybrid PHP and Vue.js front end that is deeply integrated into Algolia Search. The content is driven by a dynamic component-based block system that allows for complete customizability of every page while still keeping the UI consistent.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project, responsible for all the technology choices, architecture of the WordPress plugins and theme and front-end system, and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch and InVision DSM.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on Kinsta, through DeployHQ and GitLab.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team. We have weekly video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap.
The site is a bespoke hybrid PHP and Vue.js front end that is deeply integrated into Algolia Search. The content is driven by a dynamic component-based block system that allows for complete customizability of every page while still keeping the UI consistent.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project, responsible for all the technology choices, architecture of the WordPress plugins and theme and front-end system, and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch and InVision DSM.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on Kinsta, through DeployHQ and GitLab.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team. We have weekly video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap.
GDPR-compliant WordPress Network for International Aviation Company
https://www.starliteaviation.com/A GDRP compliant, enterprise-scale WordPress network, housing several distinct but interrelated websites for each part of the organization.
The websites are a bespoke hybrid PHP and Vue.js front end that is deeply integrated into Algolia Search. The content is driven by a dynamic component-based block system that allows for complete customizability of every page while still keeping the UI consistent.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project responsible for all the technology choices; architecture of the WordPress plugins, theme, and front-end system; and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on Kinsta through DeployHQ and Git.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team for over three years. We have regular video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap, which is planned quarterly.
The websites are a bespoke hybrid PHP and Vue.js front end that is deeply integrated into Algolia Search. The content is driven by a dynamic component-based block system that allows for complete customizability of every page while still keeping the UI consistent.
I am the technical lead and systems designer on the project responsible for all the technology choices; architecture of the WordPress plugins, theme, and front-end system; and integrations into their own systems via Zapier. I also manage their design system, with their designers, using Sketch.
I have a full CI process for deploying to UAT and production environment hosted on Kinsta through DeployHQ and Git.
I have worked remotely and completely agile with the client team for over three years. We have regular video conferences to plan and review sprints. I also manage their product roadmap, which is planned quarterly.
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Vue, WordPress API, Node.js, Lodash, Vuex, Vue 2, Firebase Web SDK, LocalStorage, Stripe API, Stripe
Tools
Webpack, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Sublime Text 3, Sketch, Slack, Trello, Sublime Text, Canvas, GreenSock, Auth0, LearnDash, InVision, MetaMask
Languages
ECMAScript (ES6), JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SCSS, PHP, Sass, HTML5
Frameworks
Bootstrap, Nuxt.js, PixiJS, .NET, Vuetify, Tailwind CSS
Paradigms
Responsive, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Agile, DevOps
Platforms
WooCommerce, WordPress, Algolia, Firebase, Amazon Web Services (AWS), WordPress Theme Design, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), HubSpot, Blockchain
Storage
MySQL, WP Engine, Cloud Firestore, Elasticsearch, JSON/XML Schemas
Industry Expertise
Web Design
Other
Front-end, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, WordPress Design, Prototyping, Web Development, User Interface (UI), CSS3 Animation, Custom Post Types, Schemas, Technical Leadership, WordPress eCommerce, HTML to WordPress, Full-stack, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), WordPress Multi-user, Design Systems, AWS DevOps, Typography, Lean UX, MVP Design, Design, User Experience (UX), Animation, XState, Pinia, Subscriptions, Membership Sites, Payment APIs, DApps, Music, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Howler.js, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ESLint, SaaS, i18n, User Roles, Dynamic Forms, Wizards, CASL, Legacy Code, Migration, Web3, ÐApp, Moralis, State Machines, Cryptocurrency Wallets, WalletConnect, Non-fungible Tokens (NFT), Firebase Hosting, Firebase Cloud Functions, PayPal
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