linkedin.com/in/dylanjgould Dylan Gould github.com/dylangood
Full-stack Software Engineer
My curiosity is insatiable - I love exploration, and I love creating systems for others to explore and delight in, too. I’m looking for daunting challenges to face in a collaborative team environment. I am responsive to feedback and seek it frequently and actively. I enjoy building clean, performant, attractive, and responsive features, and I also like writing algorithms and doing data analysis. I appreciate opportunities to wear multiple hats and work quickly and iteratively.
Technical Skills Languages: JavaScript { ES6 }, HTML5, CSS3, Java, C++, Unity, Matlab Database/ORMs: SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Bookshelf, Knex, Sequelize, MongoDB, Mongoose Frameworks: React, React Router, Redux, Backbone, Node, Express, jQuery, AngularJS Agile Development: Git/GitHub, Subversion, Perforce, JIRA, DevTrack, Mocha, Chai, Travis, Grunt Libraries: Lodash, Semantic UI, Socket.io, WebRTC, Bluebird, Axios Other Tools: Webpack, Babel, Docker, OAuth, Heroku, Mathematica
Software Engineering Projects Omnichat Text, voice, and video communication site for hobbyist groups ● Implemented real-time messaging core feature using Socket.io to improve UI responsiveness ● Containerized app services using Docker for modular deployment and scalability ● Built and styled major components in React and Semantic UI for clean, modern interface design Toad Tryp Ridesharing for road trips ● Built user profile page from modular, reusable front-end components using Semantic UI and React ● Leveraged server-side rendering with React Router for intuitive browser interactions ● Constructed unit test cases in Mocha/Chai libraries to ensure codebase was maintainable @Jobs Drag-and-drop resume parser & job posting recommendation engine ● Refactored PostgreSQL database using Bookshelf and Knex for elegant and flexible endpoint queries ● Built scheduling component in React using Semantic UI for interface consistency and responsiveness Food Quest Gamification of local restaurant ecosystem for fun and exploration ● Architected database schema in MySQL for efficient data storage and built RESTful API endpoints ● Created all product wireframes and designed React front end for performant conditional rendering
Education Hack Reactor - Advanced Software Engineering Immersive Program 2017 University of Southern California - B.Sc. Aerospace Engineering & B.A. Linguistics 2003 ● Relevant Coursework: OOP in Java, C++ Algorithms & Data Structures, Linear Equations in Matlab
Professional Experience Fishboy Games - Founder 2014 - 2017 ● Designed levels and gameplay features for a variety of games, from mobile publishing to indie studios ● Advised creative leaders on strategies that improved player engagement, incentivization, and UX ● Technologies used: Google G Suite, GitHub, JIRA, Unity, Asana, Photoshop, Trello, Pinterest & proprietary tools Skillz - Design Consultant on multiplayer platform for mobile games of skill ● Projects: Number Drop, Doodle Jump, Diamond Strike 2, Solitaire.0, Question Cube, Mini Golf, and more ● Authored specs for 3 new games on the platform: Doodle Jump, Number Drop, and Diamond Strike 2 ● Increased player engagement 45% for underperforming game by radically reimagining the control scheme ● Studied KPIs to learn what metrics drove games to success on Skillz, and offered analysis and opinions ● Improved platform loyalty program engagement by designing new, more compelling XP curve Flatter Than Earth - Game Designer & Producer for Puppet Quest ● Designed 2 levels of a puzzle platformer in Unity, including concept, layout, and gray-box prototyping ● Spearheaded the gameplay design of the player character moveset and design of economic systems ● Conducted focus tests to drive design decisions on which mechanics were the best fit for the game FunPlus - Game Designer for Happy Acres ● Designed, produced, and product managed the holiday quest system, using Google Sheets and Asana ● Optimized the localization process to provide translators with 100% more time to translate strings
Zynga - Game Designer 2009 - 2014 ● Authored creative content for over 100 storylines and conceptualized thousands of art assets ● Increased content team throughput by 25% by building award-winning pipeline tool in Google Sheets & VBScript ● Technologies used: Google G Suite, SVN, JIRA, Perforce, XML, VBScript, SQL, Pinterest & proprietary tools FarmVille - Game Designer ● Retuned major gameplay system to improve hard currency spend metric and core gameplay UX ● Analyzed user behavior data and made design recommendations to optimize cadence feature performance CastleVille - Associate Game Designer ● Implemented complex in-game objects by scripting state machines and loot tables in a proprietary XML tool ● Mentored new Designers joining the project to transfer ownership of the game to Studio I FarmVille - QA Lead ● Led 21 releases over 6 months, managed JIRA bug database, upgraded and maintained test plans
Insomniac Games - Quality Assurance Tester & Localization Coordinator 2005 - 2008 ● Discovered defects via black-box & performance testing of console games, wrote bug reports, created test cases ● Managed L10N/i18n pipeline of over 50,000 audio assets in 10 languages using Perforce and MS Excel ● Technologies used: DevTrack, Sony T-10,000 and PS3 Devkits, Microsoft Office Suite & proprietary tools Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Resistance 2, Ratchet: Quest 4 Booty - Localization Coordinator ● Scheduled i18n/L10N package deliveries of audio files and organized assets in Perforce and text in Excel ● Copy edited UI text assets and dialogue, while importing them from the script into the L10N system Ratchet: Deadlocked, Resistance: Fall of Man - QA Tester ● Provided feedback on gameplay balancing in meetings with multiplayer game designers
Electronic Arts Los Angeles - QA Tester 2004 ● Discovered defects via black-box, performance & compatibility testing of PC games, wrote bug reports ● Technologies used: DevTrack, Microsoft Office Suite & proprietary tools