About

Who am I?

I am Northwestern University class of 2024 with a major in Computer Science and a minor in French. My primary interests lie in the intersection of art and technology, but I find fulfillment in expanding my horizons and exploring new fields of tech. I have experience in both mobile and web UI/UX design, game development, iOS and web development, as well as database management.

What about beyond technology?

When not developing and desigining, I like to pass my time with artistic pursuits, including acting, digital art, and music. In the summer, you can find me acting as a part of RenQuest at the Bristol Renaissance Faire! You can also find some examples of my digital art in the Projects section.

What are my technical skills?

I have experience picking up new languages and technologies on the fly from my time in university. Below are some of the technical skills I have picked up on the way.

Languages: Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, C#, SQL, Java, Swift
Technologies: VSCode, Splunk, Jira, Git, AWS, Unity, Django, React, NextJS
Other: Agile Design Methodology, RESTful APIs, Testing and Debugging

What are my design skills?

Beyond technology, I enjoy expressing myself through art and design. I have designed several high-fidelity mobile and web app interface prototypes using Figma. I also have experience taking a project through the full design lifecycle, from needfinding to paper prototyping to user testing. I believe in open-mindedness, and the value of quick iteration in finding long-term results.

Resume

If you're looking to download my resume, you've come to the right place.

Download Technical Resume (pdf) Download Design Resume (pdf)

Projects

Development Projects

NextJS Portfolio Site

A simplified iteration of my personal portfolio, created using NextJS. The home, portfolio, and contact sections are served as separate pages, with the header, footer, and user functionality implemented through NextJS components. Developed for Northwestern's Full Stack Development course. (Winter 2024)

A recipe step tracking website with functionality for step creation, deletion, modification, and filtering, as well as checkboxes to mark steps as completed.

Recipe Step Tracker App

This solo project was developed with a React frontend and a Django backend. The functionality of the frontend employs calls to the Django Graphene backend for CRUD functionlity, with an extra unused backend RESTful API. Developed for Northwestern's Full Stack Development course. (Winter 2024)

A screenshot of a WebGL program showing several multicolor 3D shapes in both perspective and orthographic views

WebGL Shapes and Motion

Developed using HTML and JavaScript with WebGL, this solo project was created in Northwestern's Computer Graphics Course. It involves three moving, multi-jointed assemblies, as well as two static assemblies to demonstrate coordinate system manipulation functionalities. (Winter 2024)

A screenshot of a course-management web application called Bookworm

Bookworm: Course Management App

The final project in Northwestern's Scalable Software Architectures course, this web application was developed in Python using AWS RDS, Lambda, and API Gateway. It includes both Student and Teacher functionality for database modification and grade calculation. (Fall 2023)

A screenshot of a video game showing a living marshmallow navigating household objects in 2D

Oops, Too Small!

Developed in C# and Unity, Oops, Too Small! is a multi-level 2D platformer developed in a group of three students in Northwestern's Game Development Studio course. It was developed through weekly sprints with several rounds of user testing and iteration across 10 weeks. (Winter 2023)

Design Projects

A digital prototype of a mobile wellness application called MediMind

MediMind Wellness Design

This is the final prototype for my five-person group project in Northwestern's HCI Studio. Designed in Figma, MediMind was made to address issues of stress and wellness among the Medical Student population. The prototype includes interactive connections between 12 different pages. (Winter 2024)

A digital prototype of a desktop course management application called Caesar

Caesar Course Management Redesign

This high-fidelity Figma prototype was created as a final product from Northwesterns Human Computer Interaction course. It demonstrates the culmination of several rounds of low-fidelity prototyping and needfinding. The prototype includes interactivity across over nine different frames. (Fall 2023)

A digital prototype of an augmentation to the existing Hyatt app, involving itinerary planning

Hike Hyatt Itinerary Planner Design

Created as a part of a Software Engineering internship at Hyatt Corporation, this Figma prototype features an eight-frame augmentation to the existing Hyatt application to add an itinerary planning functionality. This design was a part of the winning project in the Hyatt Intern Competition. (Summer 2023)

Art Gallery

A digital drawing of a tarot card labeled as The Haunting, depicting a vulture with a mechanical eye standing atop a skull.

The Haunting, Procreate (2024)

A digital drawing of a tarot card labeled as The Star, depicting a white-eyed blonde woman standing in the crow's nest of a ship.

The Star, Procreate (2024)

A digital drawing of a figure turned over its shoulder, holding a bloody knife. The word 'Family' is crossed out, with 'Enemy' scratched in its place.

Enemy, Procreate (2024)

Contact

Interested in getting in touch? Feel free to shoot me an email at rachelruddy2024@u.northwestern.edu.

Or, you can check me out at the following sites: