Iain MacKenzie

I played a pivotal role in a vehicle connectivity project to address a large, open-ended challenge: enabling seamless communication between vehicles, drivers, and back-end systems. This involved navigating through multiple prototyping phases to refine hardware and software solutions. My work centered on developing and integrating in-car hardware with iOS and Android driver mobile applications, ensuring real-time data collection, processing, and transmission while maintaining system reliability.

The end product empowered drivers with access and control over their vehicle's data and settings, a critical feature for scalability. Collaborating with hardware engineers, I designed and tested in-car modules to interface effectively with cloud infrastructure, streamlining data storage and analytics. I also implemented robust APIs, optimized data pipelines to reduce latency, and created monitoring tools to ensure stability at scale.

By driving technical excellence and fostering cross-team collaboration, this project successfully delivered a solution that enhanced vehicle performance insights, driver experience, and scalability—bridging the gap between software and hardware innovation in the mobility space.

I led the development and management of a Ruby on Rails application that served as the back end for a React front end via a GraphQL API. Working alongside a team of skilled engineers, I contributed to designing and implementing core features, optimizing database performance, and ensuring seamless communication between the API and front end. The GraphQL API was built to efficiently handle dynamic data requirements, providing the React front end with the flexibility to query only the data it needed.

Throughout the project, I focused on enhancing system performance and scalability to support a growing user base. I also implemented robust monitoring, logging, and error-handling solutions to ensure reliability. Regular code reviews, Agile practices, and collaboration within the team helped maintain high development standards. Additionally, I mentored junior developers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.

The project successfully delivered a performant, scalable, and user-friendly platform, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating Rails, GraphQL, and React in building modern web applications.