Volition
I joined start-up Volition, as a frontend developer to help launch their app. Volition is an accessible tool built to support and empower the decision-making capability of disabled people and their supporters.
As a front-end developer at Volition, I contributed to launching the Volition app, a tool for supported decision-making. Volition's core purpose is to champion supported decision-making through an innovative multimedia app that empowers people with disabilities to collaborate with their supporters and direct their own decisions, services, and lives. I was excited to join Volition, drawn by both their mission and the opportunity to deepen my expertise in web accessibility. Working in an agile, remote team environment, I helped transform Figma designs into functional React/TypeScript components, contributing to the launch of the Beta version of the app in January 2025. The full product launch is scheduled for March 2025.
One of the most significant technical challenges I tackled during this project was adopting a component-first development approach using Storybook UI. While initially challenging, this methodology proved itself to be a valuable approach in our development process. By building and testing components in isolation, we created a robust, reusable component library that streamlined page assembly and maintained consistency across the application. This approach particularly shone in our dynamic and remote team environment, where developers could easily find, test, and implement components with different states and variations for the screens they were building. The experience taught me that sometimes the most challenging learning curves or seemingly slow processes can lead to the most efficient development practices in the long run.
The work I contributed focused on creating front-end pages and functionality for features based on the Figma prototype, including the home page, settings, and circles of support functionality. Working with a modern tech stack including Node.js, TanStack, Prisma, and React pushed me to expand my technical capabilities while reinforcing for me the importance of collaborative problem-solving to get out of feeling stuck. Working on Volition reinforced my passion for creating technology that makes a meaningful difference in people's lives. The experience helped me hone my skills in web accessibility and highlighted how thoughtful technical implementation can directly enhance the user experience for everyone. I believe digital accessibility is more than just a feature – it's a fundamental right. The knowledge and expertise I gained during this project has equipped me to prioritise and implement web accessibility best practices in my future projects.
I'm grateful for the connections I made with the team that came together to support this part of Volitions' journey, the opportunity to contribute to building technology that will help improve lives, and I look forward to contributing more in the future.