Kai Chen
Solo React & Next.js Engineer
I design, build, and ship thoughtful web experiences end-to-end with fast iteration, production rigor, and polish included.
Shipped Products
14
Production launches with retained clients
Avg. Time to MVP
6 wks
From brief to measurable customer feedback loop
Stack Coverage
Frontend to Edge
Design systems, app delivery, and edge orchestration
Projects
Selected Work
Curated prototypes and production builds that show how I approach shipping with speed, clarity, and maintainability.
2024
Pulseboard
Realtime analytics dashboard for ops teams with live Supabase streams, animated charts, and collaborative notes.
2023
Relay Docs
AI-assisted documentation system that syncs with GitHub Actions and auto-publishes versioned docs with MDX.
2023
Studio Canvas
Design handoff platform with realtime cursors, spec exports, and portable themes generated from tokens.
Experience
Independent, Outcome-Driven Engagements
I join teams as a solo engineer to de-risk product launches, build design systems, and accelerate iteration loops.
Lead Frontend Consultant · Northwind Labs
2022 - Present
- Scaled the design system to 40+ shadcn-driven primitives with automated snapshot tests.
- Delivered revenue-critical Next.js migrations cutting TTFB by 38% and bounce by 22%.
Fullstack Engineer · Freelance
2017 - 2022
- Partnered with early-stage founders to ship 10+ MVPs, handling product discovery and delivery.
- Implemented CI/CD, analytics, and observability baselines for every engagement.
Capabilities
Core Skills & Tooling
Technical range that lets me go from idea to production with minimal handoff.
Core Stack
The technologies I reach for on greenfield builds.
Supporting Tooling
Ops, automation, and testing utilities that keep velocity high.
Writing
Notes & Learnings
Short essays and talks that highlight how I reason about architecture and frontend systems.
Collaborate
Let's Build Something
Available for short-term engagements, design system partnerships, or fractional product leadership.