Tom Chislett

Creative Technology Solutions Architect + Full Stack Coder

I'm a technologist passionate about making your project a user-friendly success.

I am available to contract.

Digital is such an important part of the daily lives of millions of people. A plethora of disparate systems surrounds us, each of which require an interface between their underlying technology and the real world users. Ensuring they deliver a high quality experience is a careful balancing act between the power of raw technology and ease-of-use which is best derived from simplicity. It is a story that is played out again and again where the constraints of time and budget often add pressure to the system design.

With over 10 years experience in the digital arena, covering aspects from design to full stack development gives a unique overview and understanding of how design and technology should come together to provide intuitive and engaging experiences across a range of channels such as mobile applications to ATM interface solutions. Understanding technology is only one piece of the puzzle; understanding how users interact with it, being of equal importance.

This foundation is a great starting point for coordination of teams of different competencies which can deliver world class solutions to clients across the globe.

I design systems that deliver delightful experiences

To create a successful product, it is impossible to think of UX and visual design in isolation from technology design. Too often a proper technology strategy is an ad-hoc affair, leaving the product to meander, all the while accruing technical debt. Business requirements, creative direction and technical requirements must all feed in to define the solution which needs to satisfy demands from users who increasingly expect more of digital products.

Security, scalability, flexibility and lifespan are but a few of the technology specific inputs that at the same time must satisfy ease-of-use, accessibility, intuitivity and aesthetic appeal that make products and services from the likes of Apple, Airbnb or Uber so successful.

Understanding how disparate system components or technologies must collaborate to provide the ultimate user experience is crucial, especially with the growing spectrum of devices. These days mobile and wearable devices need to communicate with the same underlying data platforms as websites—and increasingly, web applications—which in turn relay information between other internal or external systems.

Modern system design must support user experience design rather than drive it.

Global delivery is hard, but can it be less painful?

Whether the team is located in Edinburgh or Hong Kong, keeping everyone focused and aligned is a tricky business. A myriad of tools are available which promise to solve these problems, but like a fine car, if you have an inexperienced driver, the outcome is not going to be fantastic.

Experience with teams located in as disparate locations as Mexico, India, Belarus, UAE or China is crucial for understanding cultural influences on teamwork and timezone management.

In the digital industry people very often underestimate the need for technical delivery oversight which can prove fatal unless a strong technical project manager is there to provide the backbone for the team. Just as important is the capacity to set up and manage the various automation tools and infrastructure which enable developers to focus on coding.

Realise that full stack architecture

Once the right technologies have been chosen and the solution architecture defined, it’s time to get down and build. A range of experience with different software stacks is always helpful by providing different points of view on how to implement or structure features.

Optimisation, security, performance, scalability and SEO are all concerns that should feed into development considerations when creating web or mobile solutions.

  • Ruby on Rails
  • Ember
  • React
  • NodeJS
  • iOS
  • Docker
  • AWS

Get in touch

Please drop me a line if you’re interested in contracting my services.

Feel free to email me at tom [at] dewaft.com or message me on LinkedIn.