Freelance
Independent Work
Alongside client work, I use independent projects to explore new technologies and turn ideas into working products. My most ambitious project, Neighbr.ly, is a neighborhood tool-sharing platform that I researched, designed, and built into a live beta using Base44 and AI-assisted development. I owned the experience from early research and product definition through interface design, third-party integrations, testing, and launch.
Year :
2015-Current
Industry :
Product, Web & Brand
Business :
Freelance
Duration :
Ongoing
VALIDATING A NEIGHBORHOOD-SHARING IDEA
Neighbr.ly began with a simple question: could neighbors borrow tools from one another instead of each buying equipment they might use only once or twice? The idea could help people save money, reduce unnecessary consumption, and make better use of items already sitting in nearby garages—but it depended on whether people would feel comfortable lending their belongings and coordinating with neighbors.
I conducted an early survey to evaluate interest, identify trust concerns, and understand what people would need from the experience. I used those findings to define the initial product, map its primary workflows, and prioritize the features needed for a functional beta.
The goal was not simply to create an attractive concept. I wanted to build enough of the complete experience to learn whether a neighborhood-scale sharing platform could work as a real product.
BUILDING THE COMPLETE BORROWING EXPERIENCE
I designed and built Neighbr.ly as a functioning web application rather than stopping at a static prototype. Users could create profiles, add or remove tools from their collection, browse nearby listings, filter by category, request an item, communicate with its owner, and complete the borrowing and return process.
Building the complete loop required me to account for the states between those major actions: available and unavailable tools, pending and declined requests, active loans, return confirmations, empty collections, notification preferences, ownership permissions, and conversations between borrowers and lenders.
I launched the product as a local beta, giving me the opportunity to test the experience as one connected system and discover operational details that are easy to miss when designing isolated screens.
DIRECTING AI AND CONNECTING THE PRODUCT’S SYSTEMS
I used Base44 and AI-assisted development to translate product requirements into a working application, managing much of the interface, logic, data, and state through structured prompts and iterative testing. AI accelerated development significantly, but it still required clear requirements, detailed product decisions, continuous QA, and hands-on refinement.
The app connected several third-party services: mapping and location tools supported nearby discovery, Cloudinary managed uploaded images, and messaging services provided transactional email and SMS notifications. I also configured authentication, application data, user permissions, custom domains, and a separate Framer marketing site connected to the product.
As AI-generated components began to drift visually, I recreated the app’s core design tokens and reusable components in Figma. Matching the design and development systems gave me greater control over typography, spacing, colors, responsive behavior, and component states. The project taught me how to use AI as a development partner while maintaining human oversight of usability, consistency, accessibility, and product direction.
ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT WORK
My independent practice also includes brand identities, responsive websites, books, packaging, campaign creative, and digital experiences for startups, nonprofits, small businesses, and individual clients.
These projects have required me to move between strategy and execution, clarify loosely defined requests, communicate directly with clients, and choose a process appropriate to each project’s scale. They have also given me opportunities to work across industries and mediums while continuing to strengthen my visual-design, storytelling, and front-end implementation skills.
Freelance
Independent Work
Alongside client work, I use independent projects to explore new technologies and turn ideas into working products. My most ambitious project, Neighbr.ly, is a neighborhood tool-sharing platform that I researched, designed, and built into a live beta using Base44 and AI-assisted development. I owned the experience from early research and product definition through interface design, third-party integrations, testing, and launch.
Year :
2015-Current
Industry :
Product, Web & Brand
Business :
Freelance
Duration :
Ongoing
VALIDATING A NEIGHBORHOOD-SHARING IDEA
Neighbr.ly began with a simple question: could neighbors borrow tools from one another instead of each buying equipment they might use only once or twice? The idea could help people save money, reduce unnecessary consumption, and make better use of items already sitting in nearby garages—but it depended on whether people would feel comfortable lending their belongings and coordinating with neighbors.
I conducted an early survey to evaluate interest, identify trust concerns, and understand what people would need from the experience. I used those findings to define the initial product, map its primary workflows, and prioritize the features needed for a functional beta.
The goal was not simply to create an attractive concept. I wanted to build enough of the complete experience to learn whether a neighborhood-scale sharing platform could work as a real product.
BUILDING THE COMPLETE BORROWING EXPERIENCE
I designed and built Neighbr.ly as a functioning web application rather than stopping at a static prototype. Users could create profiles, add or remove tools from their collection, browse nearby listings, filter by category, request an item, communicate with its owner, and complete the borrowing and return process.
Building the complete loop required me to account for the states between those major actions: available and unavailable tools, pending and declined requests, active loans, return confirmations, empty collections, notification preferences, ownership permissions, and conversations between borrowers and lenders.
I launched the product as a local beta, giving me the opportunity to test the experience as one connected system and discover operational details that are easy to miss when designing isolated screens.
DIRECTING AI AND CONNECTING THE PRODUCT’S SYSTEMS
I used Base44 and AI-assisted development to translate product requirements into a working application, managing much of the interface, logic, data, and state through structured prompts and iterative testing. AI accelerated development significantly, but it still required clear requirements, detailed product decisions, continuous QA, and hands-on refinement.
The app connected several third-party services: mapping and location tools supported nearby discovery, Cloudinary managed uploaded images, and messaging services provided transactional email and SMS notifications. I also configured authentication, application data, user permissions, custom domains, and a separate Framer marketing site connected to the product.
As AI-generated components began to drift visually, I recreated the app’s core design tokens and reusable components in Figma. Matching the design and development systems gave me greater control over typography, spacing, colors, responsive behavior, and component states. The project taught me how to use AI as a development partner while maintaining human oversight of usability, consistency, accessibility, and product direction.
ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT WORK
My independent practice also includes brand identities, responsive websites, books, packaging, campaign creative, and digital experiences for startups, nonprofits, small businesses, and individual clients.
These projects have required me to move between strategy and execution, clarify loosely defined requests, communicate directly with clients, and choose a process appropriate to each project’s scale. They have also given me opportunities to work across industries and mediums while continuing to strengthen my visual-design, storytelling, and front-end implementation skills.
Freelance
Independent Work
Alongside client work, I use independent projects to explore new technologies and turn ideas into working products. My most ambitious project, Neighbr.ly, is a neighborhood tool-sharing platform that I researched, designed, and built into a live beta using Base44 and AI-assisted development. I owned the experience from early research and product definition through interface design, third-party integrations, testing, and launch.
Year :
2015-Current
Industry :
Product, Web & Brand
Business :
Freelance
Duration :
Ongoing
VALIDATING A NEIGHBORHOOD-SHARING IDEA
Neighbr.ly began with a simple question: could neighbors borrow tools from one another instead of each buying equipment they might use only once or twice? The idea could help people save money, reduce unnecessary consumption, and make better use of items already sitting in nearby garages—but it depended on whether people would feel comfortable lending their belongings and coordinating with neighbors.
I conducted an early survey to evaluate interest, identify trust concerns, and understand what people would need from the experience. I used those findings to define the initial product, map its primary workflows, and prioritize the features needed for a functional beta.
The goal was not simply to create an attractive concept. I wanted to build enough of the complete experience to learn whether a neighborhood-scale sharing platform could work as a real product.
BUILDING THE COMPLETE BORROWING EXPERIENCE
I designed and built Neighbr.ly as a functioning web application rather than stopping at a static prototype. Users could create profiles, add or remove tools from their collection, browse nearby listings, filter by category, request an item, communicate with its owner, and complete the borrowing and return process.
Building the complete loop required me to account for the states between those major actions: available and unavailable tools, pending and declined requests, active loans, return confirmations, empty collections, notification preferences, ownership permissions, and conversations between borrowers and lenders.
I launched the product as a local beta, giving me the opportunity to test the experience as one connected system and discover operational details that are easy to miss when designing isolated screens.
DIRECTING AI AND CONNECTING THE PRODUCT’S SYSTEMS
I used Base44 and AI-assisted development to translate product requirements into a working application, managing much of the interface, logic, data, and state through structured prompts and iterative testing. AI accelerated development significantly, but it still required clear requirements, detailed product decisions, continuous QA, and hands-on refinement.
The app connected several third-party services: mapping and location tools supported nearby discovery, Cloudinary managed uploaded images, and messaging services provided transactional email and SMS notifications. I also configured authentication, application data, user permissions, custom domains, and a separate Framer marketing site connected to the product.
As AI-generated components began to drift visually, I recreated the app’s core design tokens and reusable components in Figma. Matching the design and development systems gave me greater control over typography, spacing, colors, responsive behavior, and component states. The project taught me how to use AI as a development partner while maintaining human oversight of usability, consistency, accessibility, and product direction.
ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT WORK
My independent practice also includes brand identities, responsive websites, books, packaging, campaign creative, and digital experiences for startups, nonprofits, small businesses, and individual clients.
These projects have required me to move between strategy and execution, clarify loosely defined requests, communicate directly with clients, and choose a process appropriate to each project’s scale. They have also given me opportunities to work across industries and mediums while continuing to strengthen my visual-design, storytelling, and front-end implementation skills.