# Lloyd Richards

Product frontend engineer building responsive React interfaces for complex data and user workflows.

[lloydrichards.dev](https://lloydrichards.dev) · [lloyd.d.richards@gmail.com](mailto:lloyd.d.richards@gmail.com) · [+41 77 97 30 938](tel:+41779730938) · [github.com/lloydrichards](https://github.com/lloydrichards)

## Executive Summary

Product frontend engineer with 6+ years building React and TypeScript applications for data-heavy products. I turn supplied key screens into usable mobile layouts, decide how components behave between breakpoints, and build shared systems that keep interfaces accessible and consistent.

- Sole developer on a 1100+ page OECD data platform recognized by Swiss Viz Awards and German Design Award
- Adapted key screens for mobile so content fit narrow viewports, and advocated for shorter mobile content
- Built a shared, themeable component system for OECD applications and checked UI decisions against WCAG requirements

## Technical Skills

TypeScript, React, Next.js, Design Systems, Storybook, Tailwind, D3.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL, GraphQL

## Experience

### Interactive Things - Professional Interaction Engineer

_Feb 2023 - Present_

Built React and TypeScript data products with designers, researchers, and public-sector clients.

- Sole developer on the 1100+ page OECD Competitiveness Outlook Data Hub, recognized by the Swiss Viz Awards and German Design Award
- Adapted supplied key screens for mobile, keeping content readable within narrow screens and advocating for shorter mobile content
- Defined component behavior between breakpoints and checked interface decisions against WCAG requirements
- Built a themeable component library across three OECD applications, using design tokens and lint rules to keep overrides consistent

### Vatorex AG. - Data Visualization Specialist

_Apr 2021 - Jan 2023_

Owned design and development of digital products for an IoT beekeeping platform serving 500 users and 10,000 connected hives worldwide.

- Built a cross-platform mobile app from scratch in Flutter, replacing separate Swift and Kotlin codebases and reducing feature delivery time from months to weeks
- Migrated backend infrastructure from per-user AWS databases to a consolidated GCP architecture with Firebase/Firestore, improving monitoring and business intelligence
- Designed read-heavy data pipelines for daily sensor transmissions and built dashboards for both beekeepers and internal R&D teams
- Mentored a mobile developer on Flutter/Dart while iterating on UI and backend improvements
- Supported pivot from hobby to commercial beekeeping (20-50 clients, thousands of hives each), adapting the platform for trial cohort management

### Vatorex AG. - Data Visualization Intern

_Oct 2020 - Mar 2021_

First design-focused hire at the company. Consolidated inconsistent interfaces across web, Swift, and Kotlin apps into a unified design system and brand.

- Audited existing applications and created the company's first design system, unifying UI patterns across three platforms
- Coordinated with the development team to implement consistent components, replacing ad-hoc designs built by rotating interns

### Interactive Things - Data Visualization Intern

_Jan 2020 - Jul 2020_

Design and development internship focused on data visualization. Created static and interactive visualizations for both internal and client-facing projects.

- Prototyped data interactions and helped transform large datasets for client-facing dashboards
- Collaborated with both design and engineering teams for iterative releases

### Lloyd Richards Design - Regenerative Garden Designer

_Apr 2016 - Oct 2018_

Ran an independent design-build practice specializing in ecological and permaculture-based landscape design. Managed 26 projects end-to-end from client acquisition through to construction.

- Designed residential gardens, food forests, and community spaces using AutoCAD, producing multi-year phased plans with succession planting timelines
- Built and delivered projects personally, coordinating with carpenters and labourers for specialized work
- Created client-facing documentation in InDesign combining technical plans, hand-drawn renders, and data-driven timelines to communicate long-term ecological development
- Managed all business operations including sales, marketing, invoicing, and client relationships

## Key Projects

- **[Competitiveness Outlook Data Hub](https://lloydrichards.dev/projects/2401-competitiveness-outlook-data-hub)** (2024)
  Interactive data storytelling platform built using fullstack technologies. Created backend logic for scoring systems and visual data transitions.
- **[Cancer Monitoring Dashboard](https://lloydrichards.dev/projects/2402-cancer-monitoring-dashboard)** (2024)
  Data exploration dashboard using React and D3 to visualize cancer trends in Switzerland. Implemented filtering logic, tooltips, and accessible UX patterns.
- **[SME Policy Index](https://lloydrichards.dev/projects/2601-sme-policy-index)** (2026)
  Multi-platform data visualization system extending the Competitiveness Outlook design language. Built unified theming architecture using design tokens and monorepo structure for backwards compatibility.
- **[Outlier Micro Frontend](https://lloydrichards.dev/projects/2400-outlier-micro-frontend)** (2024)
  Localized schedule builder using micro-frontend architecture. Next.js frontend with modular deployment. Backend powered by Supabase + PostgreSQL.

## Education

- **Master of Architecture, Environmental Design (1 year),** University of Calgary (Sep 2012 - Apr 2013)
- **Bachelor of Arts (Multidisciplinary),** University of Calgary (Sep 2006 - Apr 2011)

## Community & Volunteering

- **Organizer,** Data Visualization Zurich MeetUp (Oct 2023 - Present)
- **Events Committee Member (2024),** Outlier Conference (Feb 2024 - Aug 2024)