I'm a Senior Mobile Developer with 15+ years of experience building iOS and Android apps and more than 5 years specializing in Flutter/Dart. I architect and deliver cross‑platform mobile experiences end-to-end, from UI to cloud backend. As the founder of Artisan Digital Creative, I partner with clients to ship reliable apps, migrate native workloads to Flutter, design modular architectures, and drive AI, analytics, and payment integrations into production systems.…

James Border Highland

PRO

I'm a Senior Mobile Developer with 15+ years of experience building iOS and Android apps and more than 5 years specializing in Flutter/Dart. I architect and deliver cross‑platform mobile experiences end-to-end, from UI to cloud backend. As the founder of Artisan Digital Creative, I partner with clients to ship reliable apps, migrate native workloads to Flutter, design modular architectures, and drive AI, analytics, and payment integrations into production systems.…

Available to hire

I’m a Senior Mobile Developer with 15+ years of experience building iOS and Android apps and more than 5 years specializing in Flutter/Dart. I architect and deliver cross‑platform mobile experiences end-to-end, from UI to cloud backend.

As the founder of Artisan Digital Creative, I partner with clients to ship reliable apps, migrate native workloads to Flutter, design modular architectures, and drive AI, analytics, and payment integrations into production systems.

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Skills

Experience Level

Dart
Expert
Flutter
Expert
AWS
Expert
Android
Expert
iOS
Expert
Swift
Expert
Java
Expert
Kotlin
Expert
Objective-C
Expert
JavaScript
Expert
Google Cloud
Expert
DynamoDB
Expert
GitHub CoPilot
Expert
WordPress
Expert
Unity
Expert
API
Expert
Stripe
Expert
MySQL
Expert
Python
Intermediate
SQLite
Intermediate
Adobe Photoshop
Intermediate
PostgreSQL
Intermediate
Jira
Intermediate
SQL
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Owner/Operator at Artisan Digital Creative, Inc.
January 1, 2001 - Present
Founder and lead developer delivering custom mobile and cross-platform solutions for clients since 2001. Architected and delivered end-to-end applications for iOS, Android, and Flutter, including migration of native codebases to modular Flutter packages to reduce build times and enable parallel development. Led integration with cloud services (AWS, Cognito, API Gateway, DynamoDB, S3) and analytics, and implemented privacy-focused features such as Magic Link authentication and automatic data expiration. Built AI-powered educational platforms and interactive experiences using Claude API, AWS, and Firebase, with a focus on scalable, maintainable architectures and robust test coverage. Oversaw full-stack development from UI to backend, and managed deployments to App Store and Google Play, while collaborating closely with clients and cross-functional teams.
Mobile Application Architect at Rack Room/Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse
December 1, 2018 - July 31, 2024
Led migration from separate native iOS/Android apps to a unified Flutter application, delivering the initial release in 9 months as the sole mobile developer. Re-architected a monolithic codebase into modular Flutter packages, enabling parallel team development and faster iterations. Implemented native platform channels for analytics and payments (Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe Analytics, Braintree, Cybersource). Built and maintained integration test suites to catch issues in upstream SAP Hybris services. Collaborated with backend IT and QA to ensure end-to-end quality; led deployment processes to iOS App Store and Google Play.
Senior Mobile Application Developer at Coolfire Media/Solutions
March 1, 2007 - April 30, 2012
Led development on 1.0 releases across health, promotional, and enterprise apps. Built health tech apps including Zuum Health Tracker for patient health history and disease risk assessment, and MPIRadCalc radiation dose calculator for cardiac imaging protocols. Implemented server-side image processing, real-time event photo sharing, and video integration across platforms. Managed provisioning, distribution, and App Store submissions; contributed to device support and cross-platform compatibility.
Owner/Operator at Artisan Digital Creative, Inc.
January 1, 2012 - Present
Founded and run a mobile/web development studio delivering end-to-end solutions for clients over 10 years, including Flutter migrations, back-end integrations, and cloud architectures.
Mobile Application Architect at Rack Room Shoes / Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse
December 1, 2018 - July 1, 2024
Led migration of native iOS/Android loyalty apps to Flutter/Dart; modularized a monolithic app into independent packages; implemented environment switching via in‑app settings; built test suites and integrated messaging, analytics, and payments.

Education

BM/MM Music Theory and Composition at Webster University
January 1, 1995 - January 1, 1998
USC Graduate Studies Scoring For Film & Television at University of Southern California
January 1, 1999 - January 1, 2000
Advanced iOS Training at Big Nerd Ranch
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2012

Qualifications

Big Nerd Ranch Advanced iOS Training
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2012

Industry Experience

Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Education, Retail, Gaming
    paper Case Files — Interactive Mystery Game with AI Chat

    Flutter mobile app where players solve classic detective mysteries through conversation with AI characters. Each detective has a distinct personality and conversational style — Holmes dismisses sloppy thinking, Dupin demands analytical rigor, Father Brown probes the human element.

    App Store: [Case Files: With the Detective](https://www.twine.net/signin

    Promotional: [Case Files: With the Detective](https://www.twine.net/signin

    Key Features

    • Multi-persona AI chat — Distinct characters that stay in-character throughout conversations
    • Chat history persistence — Conversations saved and resumable
    • Adaptive difficulty modes — “Presumption of Insight” (guided) vs “Exacting Standards” (minimal hints)
    • Reasoning-based progression — Players must demonstrate understanding, not just pick correct answers
    • Classic mysteries — Faithful adaptations starting with “The Red-Headed League”

    Tech Stack

    • Frontend: Flutter/Dart
    • Backend: Firebase Authentication, Cloud Functions
    • AI: Claude Messages API

    Role

    Solo developer — concept through App Store deployment. Full-stack including AI prompt engineering, game design, and conversational UX.

    paper Sophi.bot — AI-Powered Educational Chat Platform

    Full-stack Flutter application featuring real-time AI-powered conversational learning. Students engage in Socratic dialogue with an AI tutor — the conversation itself becomes the assessment.

    Live: [https://www.twine.net/signin](https://www.twine.net/signin

    Key Features

    • Real-time AI chat interface — Structured conversations that adapt to student responses
    • Conversation persistence — Full chat history stored and accessible to teachers
    • AI-generated analysis — Comprehension insights showing where students excel or struggle
    • Teacher dashboard — Monitor student progress without grading essays
    • Privacy-first architecture — Magic Link authentication, automatic data expiration, no PII collection

    Tech Stack

    • Frontend: Flutter/Dart
    • Backend: AWS Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, Firebase Auth
    • AI: Claude Messages API

    Role

    Solo developer — designed, architected, and shipped independently. Full-stack from Flutter UI to cloud infrastructure.