Project Summary
CoughDrop is a leading augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) platform designed to empower neurodivergent individuals and their support teams across home, school, and therapy environments. I was brought in as a solo lead to modernize and stabilize a 10-year-old codebase previously maintained by a 10-person offshore team.
Over seven months, I led a full-stack transformation across web and mobile (iOS, Android, tablet), rearchitected core infrastructure, and partnered directly with the CEO to prioritize enterprise-grade features on a startup budget — all while elevating accessibility, reliability, and scalability.
Scope of Work
- Replaced entire outsourced engineering team (10+ devs)
- Modernized and maintained legacy Ember/Rails codebase
- Rebuilt and shipped new Pro app experience (web, iOS, Android)
- Refactored core communication flows to improve accessibility
- Implemented new CI/CD pipelines and DevOps best practices
- Handled full system security review + server migration
- Scoped and delivered complex enterprise features under budget constraints
- Acted as technical PM, architect, and UX partner throughout
Strategic Highlights
- Shifted platform from fragmented maintenance to a stable, scalable foundation
- Enhanced emotional usability by reworking symbol board creation and navigation UX
- Enabled cross-team continuity with secure therapist/parent collaboration tooling
- Balanced technical advancement with therapeutic goals, regulatory compliance, and real-world user needs
Tech Stack
PostgreSQL · Redis · Ruby on Rails · Ember.js · Cordova · Android · iOS · AWS · GitHub Actions · Sentry
Visual Gallery
System Refactor & Architecture Flow: A schematic-style technical diagram that illustrates the legacy and Pro app architecture, CI/CD workflow, Cordova export system, and staging/production paths.
Project Timeline + Solo Ownership: A horizontal timeline visualizing the Stabilize → Modernize → Expand lifecycle of the platform transformation, emphasizing that it was led by one person across product, UX, and engineering.
Symbol Board / UX Highlight: A polished promotional graphic featuring the CoughDrop Pro symbol board in use, designed for tablet display — spotlighting large buttons, clear navigation, and therapeutic color use.
Skills & Tags: Full-Stack Development. Accessibility. Product Strategy. UX Architecture. DevOps. Solo Engineering. Healthcare Tech. Human-Centered Design. Neurodivergent UX. CI/CD. Leadership. Emotional Design. Accessibility Strategy. Creative Problem Solving. End-to-End Product Ownership. Technical Leadership.
