Isaac Priestley
Software Engineer
Passionate about creating innovative software solutions and building exceptional user experiences.
About Me
Senior Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience building scalable web applications using Ruby on Rails and JavaScript. Skilled in APIs, system integration, and front-end frameworks, delivering solutions for e-commerce and education platforms. Former co-founder with experience scaling applications for millions of users.
Skills
Languages: Ruby, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS/SCSS, SQL
Frameworks: Ruby on Rails (6+), React, Next.js, Material UI
Tools: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Git, Docker, ElasticSearch
AI Integration: Grok API, prompt engineering, content generation
Methodologies: Agile, TDD, CI/CD, RESTful API design
Recent Projects
Chi War RPG Management System:
• Backend (shot-counter) - Ruby on Rails API server
• Frontend (shot-client-next) - Next.js TypeScript client
Full-stack app for managing Feng Shui 2 RPG games.
Shadow Kingdom Text Adventure:
• Source Code - Node.js + TypeScript + SQLite
AI-powered text adventure with procedural world generation.
Get In Touch
I'm always interested in new opportunities and collaborations. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to connect!
Recent Experience
Babylist, Inc
Senior Software Engineer | Apr 2023 - Nov 2024
• Built RESTful APIs for 1M+ user e-commerce platform, improving response time by 30%
• Integrated payment and shipping APIs, reducing checkout errors by 15%
• Automated 20 hours of weekly manual processes with internal tools
Teachable, Inc
Senior Software Engineer | Mar 2018 - May 2022
• Architected course creation systems for 10,000+ instructors, increasing efficiency by 40%
• Built React-based staff app, cutting content moderation time by 35%
• Enhanced course search with ElasticSearch, improving accuracy by 20%
The Honest Company
Senior Software Engineer | Aug 2015 - Sep 2017
• Developed Rails-based payments API, processing $5M+ monthly with zero downtime
• Optimized Salesforce Marketing Cloud campaigns, raising open rates by 18%
• Refactored legacy code, improving application performance by 15%
Personal Projects
Chi War - Feng Shui 2 RPG Management System
A full-stack real-time web application for managing Feng Shui 2 RPG sessions remotely with live game state synchronization.
Key Features
• Real-time synchronization: WebSocket connections ensure all players see live updates to character stats, initiative order, and game state
• AI content generation: Grok API integration for custom character portraits, villains, and monsters with full game statistics
• Shot counter system: Implemented Feng Shui 2's unique turn-based mechanics and action sequences
• Multi-player support: Handles concurrent player actions while maintaining data consistency
• Remote gameplay: Intuitive web interface designed specifically for managing complex RPG mechanics online
Tech Stack
Backend: Ruby on Rails + WebSockets + Grok API
Frontend: Next.js + TypeScript + Material UI
Database: PostgreSQL
AI Integration: Prompt engineering + content generation
Demonstrates full-stack development skills, real-time communication patterns, AI API integration, and domain-specific problem solving with modern prompt engineering techniques.
Shadow Kingdom - AI-Powered Text Adventure
A dynamic text adventure game with AI-generated worlds, featuring region-based procedural generation and immersive exploration.
Key Features
• AI world generation: Grok AI creates thematically coherent regions with atmospheric room descriptions and connections
• Region-based exploration: Distance-based probability system ensures natural transitions between themed areas
• Dual navigation system: Move using cardinal directions or immersive thematic descriptions
• Persistent worlds: SQLite database maintains game state with visit-to-lock room consistency
• Session interface: Programmatic command execution for automation and testing
Tech Stack
Runtime: Node.js + TypeScript
Database: SQLite with comprehensive schema
AI Integration: Grok API + context-aware prompting
Architecture: Service-oriented design + session management
Showcases advanced AI integration, procedural generation algorithms, database design for spatial relationships, and TypeScript architecture for complex interactive systems.