Tyler Steele

About Me

Hey, there! I'm Tyler Steele, a Software Engineer who’s passionate about human-centered design. I lead with compassion and empathy because software is not just a solution to complex problems, it’s a means to improve the lives of the people who use it. I’m driven to create technology that fosters a kinder, more connected world and I’m always eager to tackle new challenges to help make that vision a reality.

I created this portfolio to showcase my work and share a more personal side of myself. Its design pays homage to the Fallout ☢️ series (hopefully that's obvious to fans!). Despite the wasteland setting, I'm inspired by the protagonists' ability to have a lasting, positive impact on the world around them. I hope to do the same in this one.

Software

I've been working as a software developer professionally for years.

In that time, I've contributed extensively to the following projects.

Platform for Structuring Machine Learning Input Data

LanzaTech's machine learning team needed structured, labeled fermentation data in order to train predictive models. I was responsible for the application that allowed fermentation scientists to apply labels and metadata to runs.

As the product owner, I led a months-long initiative to establish a new set of label definitions, facilitating complex discussions with over 10 scientists.

Metabolic Pathway Assessment Pipeline

At LanzaTech, we are interested in assessing bacteria's ability to produce various target products. This means performing various assessments of metabolic pathways (chains of reactions in the bacteria's metabolism).

I designed and built a serverless, scalable data pipeline capable of processing thousands of metabolic pathway assessments concurrently. The pipeline is orchestrated by a manager that dispatches assessments and ultimately stores the values in a read-optimized database.

The results are viewable in a responsive web app that lazy loads the data for optimal performance.

National Insurer Quoting Experience

At Amica, I helped design and develop a beautiful, responsive quoting experience for millions of users.

This was a collaborative effort between developers, designers, and subject matter experts to meet user expectations, support multiple lines of business, and account for differing state laws.

Technician Service Management Web App

At HomeX / Gem Plumbing and Heating, we were rolling out service plans for residential customers. The technicians needed a digital version of their paper sign-up form, so I worked with a tight-knit team to translate the paper form and complex plan structure to a web application interface.

An important aspect of this was making the process appealing to low-tech users who enjoyed the paper process. This was the start of my interest in human-centered design.

Poempath

Here's a personal project I enjoyed putting together! Poempath is a poetry recommendation app. Imagine a Tinder for poetry (swipe left and swipe right interactions).

It uses a recommendation engine to suggest poems that people with similar tastes enjoy.

Workshops

No, I don't know much about wasteland survival, but I do know some things!

I've led workshops on a variety of topics, including:

User Story Mapping

In this workshop, I summarized Jeff Patton's book User Story Mapping and provided a detailed walkthrough of how to create a user story map. I was delighted to see many projects embrace the idea in the months following the workshop.

Docker: a Port in All Storms

When working on the Metabolic Pathway Assessment Pipeline, I spent a lot of time debugging failed docker builds. I realized there must be a better way, so I mastered the docker fundamentals and debugging. To solidify my understanding and distribute the knowledge, I decided to share my learnings with the team. This lesson covered the background (why Docker?), general overview (images, containers, volumes, etc.) as well as practical tips for digging into containers.

Isn't it Pythonic?

This Alanis Morissette-inspired workshop was a fun way to explore common Python pitfalls. In order to empower attendees to avoid them and write better Python code, I shared a detailed breakdown of how Python works 'under the hood'.

Terminal Coolness

It may seem trivial, but terminal customization can make development more joyful and streamline common workflows. This workshop scratches the surface of customization options and offers some sensible defaults.

Git Good

A recurring workshop of mine (I presented this at Amica and LanzaTech), this covers the basic git commands I've come to know and love: status, add, commit, push, and of course rebase. I also cover pull request review best practices and do my best to instill a love for clean commit history.

CSS Flex and Grid Aren't so Spooky

In this halloween themed lesson, I demystified CSS flex and grid in an attempt to encourage more use of it at Amica. I succeeded in my goal and we had fun stacking pumpkins along the way!

Personal

Thank you for your interest!

Here's what makes me me.

Father of Two

It's cliché, but this is the most important part of my 'Personal' section. Most of my energy is dedicated to creating the best environment for my two sons. For now, this means a demanding schedule of playing pretend, and I welcome the challenge!

Dvorak Mechanical Keyboarder

A few years ago, I got into mechanical keyboards. In order to avoid falling down the rabbit hole, I set my sights on a singular vision and achieved it. I then promptly unsubscribed from all the keyboard subreddits and YouTube channels 😅 I also took the opportunity to relearn typing in Dvorak and break old habits. If you use a computer and someone left it in 'Dvorak' mode, that may have been me...

Recovering Gamer

I'm currently on a gaming hiatus, trying to think more critically about how I'm spending my time (especially now that I'm a dad). However, I'll always have a deep love for interactive fiction and the power a virtual world can hold over you. Some of my favorite games are Fallout: New Vegas (duh), XCOM 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Into the Breach, The Beginner's Guide, and Inscryption.

Theater Lover

If I could, I'd spend every night at the theater. There's something so magical about the dedication and craft that comes together on stage each night. Some of my favorite musicals are: Company, Into the Woods, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, Hadestown, Little Shop of Horrors, Fun Home, Merrily We Roll Along and Sunday in the Park with George. Listen, Sondheim is the GOAT for a reason :)

Vegan Teetotaler

I know, I know. I must be fun at parties 🎉 In all seriousness, my belief system is founded on the notion that we must be accountable for our individual actions in order to live our values. I believe modern society has moved past needing animal products, and I find that drugs and alcohol can disengage us from addressing the most important issues affecting humanity. If we focus more on the people and things (and animals...) that matter, we can create a better world for ourselves and future generations. Still, I'm a believer in progress over perfection, so I don't judge others for their choices. I just strive to do the best I can.

Devoted Podcaster

My best friend Brevin and I have co-hosted three successful (by our metrics 🙂) podcasts: Computable, Much To Do About Something, and Red Dead Reflection. Actually, Red Dead Reflection has over 100k lifetime listens, which is sort of mind boggling. We'll be getting 'back in the saddle' whenever Grand Theft Auto VI finally releases.

Contact Me

Well first of all, thank you for taking the time to visit my site! If anything here resonates with you, or if you would simply like to connect, please feel free to email me at steeledeveloper@gmail.com.

I am willing to consider opportunities and collaborations that align with my values and interests, so don't hesitate to reach out with ideas. Also, feel free to connect on LinkedIn 🙂