About Catherine
In my role as Technical Director, I manage teams at Sparkbox, delivering responsive, accessible web experiences with a primary focus on enterprise-level eCommerce applications and design systems. With 15+ years of development experience, I specialize in React Applications and UI Components. I am also a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) and I graduated with a B.S. from Miami University of Ohio.
Featured Works
Creating a Technical Foundation
UnConference
I gave this talk at 2024's Unconference: Embracing the Power of the MVP. When you plan an MVP, you know you need it to be stable and secure in the near term, but what you build today should be flexible enough to enable future growth. I talk about how (and make time travel jokes).
Watch the video on Sparkbox's Youtube
What Even Are Dragging Movements?
The Sparkbox Foundry
Understanding and implementing the Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG) can be difficult for even trained experts. Catherine helps us with WCAG 2.2′s newest guideline by explaining the requirements and providing examples of how to improve our user interfaces.
Figure out dragging movements on the Sparkbox FoundryGithub Pull Requests for Everyone
JSConf Iceland 2018
I had the great honor of being selected for JSConf Iceland in 2018. In this talk, I discuss several tips for creating pull requests that are easily reviewable for all people who build the web.
Watch the video on JSConf's Youtube
4 Easy Ways to Deploy Your Website or App
Shopify Partners Blog
In this article, we will cover four happy deploy paths to getting your website online, and the benefits and costs of each plan. I'll also discuss one potential integration plan for your Shopify app environment. No matter your skill level or experience, at least one of these paths should work for you.
Read the full article on the Shopify Partner BlogKeeping Subscribers Engaged in Your Design System
FullStack NYC
At FullStack NYC, I presented a talk describing some of my experiences working for large Design System teams. This is one of my favorite talks, both due to its frame story and how the content remains relevant in the long term.
Read the presentation writeup on the Sparkbox Foundry
A Lukewarm Approval of CSS-in-JS
The Sparkbox Foundry
CSS-in-JS can be a worthwhile tool for many projects, even from the perspective of someone who is a die-hard SCSS user. Let's go through an overview of the CSS-in-JS and the pros and cons of using it instead of Sass.
Read about CSS-in-JS on the Sparkbox Foundry