Kirubel Girma

Front-end developer · Chicago

Cognitive Science (HCI) background and four years building educational web apps in JavaScript and PHP. I balance UI/UX craft with solid web development to ship and maintain reliable digital experiences.

Kirubel Girma profile photo

Projects

Company Sentiment Lab

Analyzes live news headlines for company-level sentiment with explainable scoring.

Problem: People can quickly see coverage volume, but not the tone of recent headlines tied to a specific company.

Solution: Built a web app that fetches live headlines, filters relevance, and uses an LLM to score tone with short rationales.

Impact: Reduced scan time to a fast interactive flow and added side-by-side company comparison with exportable reports.

Next.jsTypeScriptTailwind CSSOpenAI APIGoogle News RSS

Proof

Screenshot of Company Sentiment Lab results dashboard

Harris Lawn & Landscape

Three-page marketing site for a local lawncare business (Chicago 60619)—full hero section, services & pricing, and contact with JSON-driven copy.

Problem: Small local service businesses need credible web presence fast, but generic templates feel cold and don’t match neighborhood tone or service-area detail.

Solution: Built a lawncare website with Next.js and Tailwind, tailored content for Chicago 60619, and a single JSON file for future updates.

Impact: Delivers a client-friendly experience: clear CTAs, trust strip, testimonials, and a contact flow that opens a prefilled email draft.

Next.jsTypeScriptTailwind CSSJSON content

Proof

Harris Lawn & Landscape homepage with full-bleed hero and Chicago 60619 messaging

HTML Accessibility Checker

Provides accessibility feedback on pasted HTML or a public page—targeted checks for a business's QA process.

Problem: Markup issues like missing alt text, weak link labels, and heading skips are easy to ship; dense WCAG docs don’t help people iterate quickly on a fragment or page.

Solution: Built a Next.js app with client-side DOMParser rules, optional URL fetch (SSRF-aware), and honest limitations—inline contrast hints, educational framing, no “compliance certificate” claims.

Impact: Turns accessibility into an inspectable, explainable loop: see the issue, read why it matters, and get a concrete fix hint in one place.

Next.jsTypeScriptTailwind CSSDOMParser

Proof

HTML Accessibility Checker UI showing Fetch from URL mode, limitations callout, and Fetch & analyze action

About

A bit about me

I enjoy building clean, user-friendly products that balance user needs with business value—especially in education and training. In my free time, I like learning new tools, gaming with friends, and staying up to date on current events.

Experience

Work experience

Digital Media Developer · American Technical Publishers

Jan 2022 - Feb 2026

Chicago

  • Developed and maintained educational web applications, improving learner retention for skilled trades students, using JavaScript and PHP.
  • Streamlined multimedia integration into content management systems (CMS) by collaborating in cross-functional teams of designers, developers, and tech editors.
  • Optimized digital product reliability by resolving 95% of technical issues on first contact, leveraging knowledge of web applications to troubleshoot and resolve high-priority bugs.
  • Boosted marketing campaign effectiveness by designing visually engaging digital composite images in Adobe Photoshop.
  • Strengthened the company's reputation for high-quality training materials by upholding confidentiality and adhering to best practices across all business platforms.

Front End UI/UX Developer Intern · Petco

Jun 2018 - Aug 2018

San Diego, CA

  • Created gift-registry UI wireframes and front-end mockups, and supported dynamic content templates for ecommerce pages.

Education

Education

University of California, San Diego

Cognitive Science in Human Computer Interaction

Sep 2016 - Jun 2020 · San Diego, CA

Let's build something useful

Open to front-end and content-focused opportunities.