Senior UX/UI developer and front-end engineer who builds and modernizes production web applications and component systems across complex environments (desktop, browser, and native). Known for improving performance, accessibility (WCAG 2.1), and developer/platform integrations through event-driven architectures and design-system thinking. Over the past decade, Zola has led UI migrations and architecture efforts—from Backbone.js and internal frameworks to React and Web Components compatibility layers—while collaborating directly with product teams and shipping across multiple platforms including Creative Cloud desktop and web.

Zola K. Richards

Senior UX/UI developer and front-end engineer who builds and modernizes production web applications and component systems across complex environments (desktop, browser, and native). Known for improving performance, accessibility (WCAG 2.1), and developer/platform integrations through event-driven architectures and design-system thinking. Over the past decade, Zola has led UI migrations and architecture efforts—from Backbone.js and internal frameworks to React and Web Components compatibility layers—while collaborating directly with product teams and shipping across multiple platforms including Creative Cloud desktop and web.

Available to hire

Senior UX/UI developer and front-end engineer who builds and modernizes production web applications and component systems across complex environments (desktop, browser, and native). Known for improving performance, accessibility (WCAG 2.1), and developer/platform integrations through event-driven architectures and design-system thinking.

Over the past decade, Zola has led UI migrations and architecture efforts—from Backbone.js and internal frameworks to React and Web Components compatibility layers—while collaborating directly with product teams and shipping across multiple platforms including Creative Cloud desktop and web.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

Javanese
Advanced

Work Experience

Software Developer Engineer at Adobe
November 1, 2017 - Present
Architected a cross-application collaboration platform used across Creative Cloud desktop and web apps. Redesign of a REST-based modal flow into an internal application model enabled request preloading/caching and reduced component load time from ~2000ms to near-instant rendering. Built a JavaScript abstraction layer to standardize communication with host applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) using an event-driven model to decouple from host-specific APIs. Migrated UI from an internal framework (Torq) to React, integrated into production across multiple Creative Cloud applications, and supported constraints across UXP, CEP, and browser environments. Implemented a Web Components compatibility layer wrapping React components to align with Spectrum Two initiative. Led WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance with keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and ARIA attributes.
Senior UI Developer at Tune – HasOffers
November 1, 2015 - November 1, 2017
Developed the React SPA layer during migration of a Zend PHP monolith to a REST-based architecture, enabling transition toward a microservices system. Co-initiated and developed the TUNE Experience Language (TXL), a React-based design system adopted across company applications with contributions to a shared internal component library. Built a React Native bridge for the Tune SDK and engineered mobile apps, including Network app v1.0 and migration of the Publisher app from Ionic/Angular for external customers. Contributed to the Has Offers web application (v2.0) with React/ES6/Webpack/Redux and supported frontend architecture ownership. Designed and implemented GitLab CI/CD pipelines for testing, Docker builds, and deployment to AWS ECS.
Senior Lead Web Developer at Sinclair Digital – Division of Sinclair Broadcast Group
July 1, 2014 - October 1, 2015
Designed and implemented frontend architecture for a CMS SPA (Backbone.js) to centralize content publishing across multiple digital properties. Led a team of 5 engineers on architecture decisions, task assignment, and code reviews. Developed a reusable UI toolkit to standardize components and styling. Implemented an API integration layer (Laravel proxy) and created a mock API server (Sails.js) to enable parallel frontend development. Directed build workflows (Grunt, Handlebars, SASS) and evaluated alternative architectures for performance and scalability.
Web Development at Microsoft – Advertising in Applications
May 1, 2014 - July 1, 2014
Developed dynamic advertising modules using JavaScript and CSS3 animations, including testing (Mocha.js) and build tooling (Grunt).
Web Development at Expedia.com – Media Solutions
February 1, 2013 - February 1, 2014
Developed dynamic ad modules and landing pages using JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery. Built JavaScript plugins and supported A/B testing (Abacus, SiteSpect) to measure ad performance. Supported advertising platform migration (DFE to DFP) and automated build pipelines using Maven and Jenkins.
SDE Front End UI development at Amazon AWS via InterSoft, Kumo Team
March 1, 2012 - February 1, 2013
Developed UI features for the AWS Trusted Advisor console using JavaScript and jQuery for a globally available service. Built and maintained UI components using Backbone.js, Handlebars.js, Require.js, and Angular.js. Contributed to internal tools and explored Node.js for push notification capabilities.
Systems Developer/Engineer at ESPN, Community Team
June 1, 2011 - February 1, 2012
Developed social media integration features for ESPN.com using JavaScript and jQuery. Built real-time social functionality using Echo Live Stream and contributed to photo API development with AWS S3.
Systems Developer/Engineer at Ohio State University, Department of Transportation and Parking
June 1, 2006 - June 1, 2011
Led development of web applications supporting ~40,000 users using ASP.NET and C#. Built payment processing systems handling ~$7.1M annually in transactions. Integrated with university services (HR, SIS) and managed databases (Oracle, MySQL). Implemented SSO (Shibboleth) and migrated legacy systems to ASP.NET.
Web Developer at University of Akron School of Law
December 1, 2004 - August 1, 2004
Maintained and updated website content using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and XML/XSL.
Avionics Specialist at US Air Force, AF Reserves
November 1, 2004 - August 1, 2006
Maintained avionics systems for C-130 aircraft as part of a maintenance team.
Freelance Web Designer
September 1, 2000 - Present
Designed and developed websites and marketing assets for small businesses using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Japanese at Ohio State University
January 1, 2006 - June 1, 2011
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at University of Akron
August 1, 1996 - August 1, 2004

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Software & Internet, Computers & Electronics, Media & Entertainment