Rick Allen - Full Stack Developer

Full-Stack Software Developer

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About Me

I am a problem solver who loves to code. My tools of choice are React and Next.js, backed by a strong knowledge of HTML5/CSS3, JavaScript, and TypeScript.

With over two decades of experience across startups and Fortune 500s, I've worn many hats: programmer, product manager,UI design lead, and marketing strategist. This gives me a unique perspective on how to build software that delights users.

I care about clean code, intuitive design, and creating experiences people enjoy.

My Projects

ShadowForge

AI-assisted 5e to Shadowdark RPG converter

ShadowForge converts D&D 5e adventures into Shadowdark RPG format using OpenAI. Built with Next.js, Tailwind v4, and TypeScript, it features token-aware chunking, markdown output, and client-side token tracking. Designed for future support of prompt routing and memory-aware AI refinement.

GithubSee it!
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Tailwind CSS v4
  • OpenAI
  • LLM
  • Markdown

Finance Dashboard

Full-Stack

A sample finance dashboard web app. It shows word count, character count and social media post limits.

See it!
  • Vite.js
  • React
  • TypeScript
  • Material UI
  • React-router
  • Redux
  • Recharts
  • Emotion

Microservice for Questions

Front-End

Designed and built a pixel-perfect clone of zwilling.com for Questions & Answers microservice using React, JavaScript ES6, HTML/CSS. Built local mock back-end with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and Faker to facilitate development. Used Figma to design wireframes to plan component hierarchy.

  • React
  • JavaScript ES6
  • HTML/CSS
  • CSS Modules
  • Figma

Microservice for Reviews

Back-End

Designed and developed REST API and database for handling user-generated product reviews. Reduced local response times under stress of 10 million records to over 5000 RPS, achieving response times under 20ms. Deployed databases on AWS EC2 with NGINX load-balancing, surpassing goals by achieving over 2000 RPS under 1000 ms. Packaged the service and deployed components as Docker containers using AWS.

  • Node.js
  • JavaScript
  • MongoDB
  • Express
  • AWS EC2
  • Docker
  • NGINX

Skills

Experience

Full-Stack Developer & Product Owner, ShadowForge

Remote

Built a Next.js 15 web app that converts D&D 5e content to Shadowdark RPG format using OpenAI. Implemented chunk-based input logic, markdown rendering, token tracking, and roadmap tooling.

2024 – Present

Product Owner / Strategy Lead, Solver AI

Sunnyvale, CA

Led development of AI ad generation MVP using OpenAI and Stable Diffusion. Built brand scrapers, designed prompt workflows, and owned GTM planning and product roadmap.

2024

Mobile Software Engineer, Revery Labs

San Francisco, CA

Shipped a cross-platform wellness app using Flutter and Firebase. Implemented UI from Figma designs, added animation via Rive, and contributed to early product roadmap.

2021

Microservices Engineer (Capstone), Hack Reactor

Remote

Designed and deployed a backend service using Node.js, MongoDB, and Docker. Load-tested to 5K RPS with NGINX. Built supporting frontend and dev tooling.

2023

Hack Reactor – Advanced Software Engineering

San Jose, CA

Completed full-time immersive focused on full-stack JavaScript, React, Node.js, and modern software development best practices.

2020