Wireframe search UI for Australia's leading ETF provider. CI-connected Storybook with visual regression testing via Chromatic on every push, and axe accessibility checks on every component.
Design Engineering
Andrew McDougal
Your local time
Twenty years building the part of the web users actually touch — components, systems, and the moments of craft that separate products people enjoy from ones they merely endure.
I lead design engineering teams. That means I write the React/Typescript and CSS and ship the code, but I also translate between design intent and engineering constraint, between technical trade-offs and business outcomes. I care about why a decision matters, not just how to implement it.
I work with AI agentic coding tools daily — Copilot, Claude, and the wider ecosystem of AI-assisted development. Not as a shortcut, but as a force multiplier: faster feedback loops, better exploration of the solution space, and more time for the judgment calls that actually matter.
I put the human in 'human-in-the-loop'. Let's chat.
4 weeks notice · Open to opportunities
Skills & tools
- CSS Architecture
- Design Systems
- Component APIs
- VS Code
- Claude AI tools
- Copilot
- React
- Preact
- Astro
- TypeScript
- Accessibility
- Performance
- Data Analysis
- Storybook
- Team Leadership
- Figma
- Adobe Suite
Recent work
Selected projects
-
-
Real-world basketball ladder app where players check in at courts, climb rankings, and challenge the king. GPS-verified check-ins, live challenge scoring, and community video vouching — all backed by Supabase Realtime.
-
Full-stack invoice management app with Stripe metered billing, PDF generation, and a password-gated demo mode — no backend required. Built for freelancers who only pay months they work.
-
Designed and built a premium eCommerce experience for a luxury caviar brand, blending storytelling, editorial UX, and conversion-focused product journeys.
-
Lead a frontend team of 20+ engineers building brand-controlled template systems for major global companies. Design system architecture, code review culture, and close UX collaboration at scale.
-
Rebuilt the primary acquisition platform from the ground up. Signup conversion up 57%, user growth 384%. Frontend craft treated as a business lever, not a delivery task.
Build log
In progress
- Scaffold & project setup
- CSS foundation (type scale, custom properties)
- Layout & Base component
- Clock island (Preact, client:idle)
- Build log section
- Content & copy
- Deploy to Vercel
This log is updated manually — a frontmatter edit and a push. No CMS, no webhook. The mechanism is part of the point: ship deliberately, update intentionally.