Nick Karch

I’m a front end developer with over a decade of experience in building user interfaces and themes, working with  SaaS startups, agencies, and as a freelancer. Whether with JavaScript-based web apps or custom WordPress themes, I aim to produce robust, optimized, and accessible user experiences, reinforced by my expertise in CSS and WCAG.

Primary Skills:

• Languages: HTML5, CSS/Sass, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP
• Frameworks: Angular, React, Astro
• CMS: WordPress
• Other Tools: Bootstrap, Tailwind, Storybook, jQuery
• Software: Figma, Sketch, Zeplin, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

Freelance

January 2013 - June 2023

Clients: Tuned / SDS Safety / Oscillot Audio / Burlington Pediatric Dentistry

●  Built custom charting and statistical widgets for crypto-trading platform’s marketing website, providing up to date information directly from client’s database by retrieving and parsing GraphQL queries via PHP, customizing Chart.js to display queried data, and periodically caching query results into MySQL database, optimizing load times.

●  Translated Figma page and component designs into custom theme for WordPress-driven marketing website, implementing SVG animations with Lottie. providing visual motion triggered by user interaction.

●  Configured Moneris integration for e-commerce website, allowing for easy administrative control and seamless purchase process for the user

●  Coordinated closely with clients and designers to identify project requirements, and ensure delivery and launch of finished products within deadlines, providing support for cPanel configuration and future software updates to ensure security and compatibility.

●  Built and tested HTML newsletter templates for compatibility amongst a wide variety of email clients, identifying and solving layout inconsistencies with Litmus email testing platform.

CoreLogic

January 2016 - January 2022

● Collaborated with the frontend product team to build data-intensive Angular web apps, ensuring well-structured coordination by following Scrum methodology in conjunction with Jira, and utilizing Swagger documentation as API sources of truth.

● Improved internal marketing team’s ability to rapidly publish and edit web communications by building and maintaining CMS-driven websites, and providing quick turnaround times for frequent design and content updates.

● Built custom UI components with React and Styled Components for a Google Chrome extension, utilizing Storybook to document their visual variants and states.

● Leveraged AngularJS to implement complex logic for online forms, formatting submitted data with PHP for email delivery and print-optimized documents.

● Enhanced the frontend product team's proficiency in web accessibility by crafting helpful documentation, guides, and illustrative examples of actionable accessibility enhancements. These resources were readily applicable during the development process, fostering concrete improvements in our overall accessibility standards.

● Implemented a time-slot-booking form for an event page with the Google Calendar API, and coordinating calendar event creation with HubSpot CRM forms, providing marketing with enhanced tracking of customer interaction.

Gallop

January 2015 - November 2015

●  Transformed designs for data graphs and charts into interactive components with D3.js, overriding default styling to align with company branding.

●  Utilized responsive CSS layout techniques to apply UI refreshes and add to the growing library of components for a quickly evolving AngularJS web app.

Seneca College

2006 - 2008

Diploma - Digital Media Arts Program