Dávid Novák
SK
Senior Frontend Engineer · UI & UX specialistSlovakia · Remote, international teams

Frontend engineering with a designer’s eye.

From Figma to production, with real care for the details most teams skip: the empty, loading and error states where users decide whether to trust a product.

Get in touch
ROLE
Senior frontend engineer specialising in UI & UX. I design in Figma, build in code, and step in as the product designer when a project needs one.
SENIORITY
Over a decade on the web, building products for international clients. Frontend Lead on recent products, with teams of around six engineers.
BUILT
An automated investment platformAn embeddable checkout SDKA validator platform suiteA digital collectibles platformA large e-commerce storefront
COLLEAGUES
“David is one of the strongest frontend engineers I've worked with, and his technical craft is impeccable.” — Engineering manager
BASED
Slovakia (CET), working remotely with international teams. English, Slovak, Hungarian.
02 · Selected work

Products I led or shaped, from early concept to production.

See all case studies
03 · Working with meIn my words, backed by the people I worked with

What you can count on.

  1. 01

    I question the brief before I build it.

    See it in Case 01 →
    “He evaluates the client’s request first.”
    — Fellow engineer
  2. 02

    I bring a better solution, not just a patch.

    See it in Case 01 →
    “…challenge impossible requirements, suggest alternatives and reach a viable conclusion.”
    — Engineering manager
  3. 03

    When a project needs a designer, I step in.

    See it in Case 01 →
    “If needed, he can change existing designs himself and fill in for the designer.”
    — Team lead
  4. 04

    I put the trade-offs on the table.

    See it in Case 03 →
    “He can bring peace where there’s none.”
    — Engineering manager
  5. 05

    You won’t need to micromanage me.

    “I wouldn’t have to micromanage him… I can rely on the quality of the delivery.”
    — Project manager
  6. 06

    I look after the people I work with.

    See it in Case 03 →
    “He would always proactively ask whether I was blocked.”
    — Engineer on a team David led
ExtendedClients extended my engagements and came back with new work.
RequestedMultiple clients asked for me for follow-up work.
Mixed teamsI lead mixed teams of frontend and backend engineers, and designers.
Repeat workMy delivery led directly to additional projects.
04 · CapabilitiesWhat I bring, and what I use

Design literacy, engineering depth.

WHAT I BRING
UI & UX as a specialismVisual detail, interaction design, motion, responsive and mobile-first layouts, and design systems that stay coherent as a product grows.
Design skills alongside engineeringI can critique and change a design, prototype alternatives, and stand in for a designer when a project needs one.
User advocacy, with judgementWhen a request would hurt users, I say so, lay out the trade-offs and propose a better option.
The states most teams skipEmpty, loading, partial, error and edge cases, handled deliberately, because that’s where users decide whether to trust a product.
End-to-end ownershipFrom architecture to delivery, from an empty repository to production, without hand-holding.
Leadership and client communicationI’ve led frontend teams, mentored engineers and handled difficult client conversations while keeping the relationship strong.
TOOLS
Core
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript
  • React
  • Next.js
  • React Native
  • HTML & CSS
  • SASS
UI engineering
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Radix UI
  • Framer Motion
  • Storybook
  • Design systems & component libraries
  • Atomic design
  • Responsive & mobile-first
  • Cross-browser & cross-device
Design
  • Figma
  • Sketch
  • InVision
  • Zeplin
  • Visual design
  • UI prototyping
  • UX research
Data & state
  • TanStack Query
  • Data visualisation (Chart.js)
  • Redux
  • GraphQL
Platform
  • Vercel
  • AWS
  • Sentry
  • Docker
  • GitHub Actions
  • Jest
  • BrowserStack
Domain integrations
  • Wallet & on-chain (wagmi, viem, ethers.js)
05 · ExperienceOn the web since around 2012

Over a decade in the field..

  1. 2018 — now
    Senior frontend engineer, UI & UXEngagement with VacuumlabsProduct work for international clients, leading the frontend on recent engagements.
    • 2025–26Automated investment platformFrontend Lead
    • 2024–25Embeddable checkout SDKFrontend Lead
    • 2023–24Digital collectibles platformLead Frontend Engineer
    • 2022–24Validator platform suiteSenior Frontend UI Developer
    • 2021–22Storefront for a large European e-commerce retailerFrontend Engineer
    • 2018–19Mobile app for a security-focused startupFrontend Engineer · UX research, extra screens

    Also: a public data explorer, a carbon-footprint calculator, a lightweight in-browser wallet, and companies own websites and blog.

  2. Before 2018
    Web & frontend developmentMarketing agency · Freelance projects · Digital studioAfter graduating, a varied path through agency, freelance and studio work, shipping for real clients from day one.
  3. c. 2012
    Where it startedTechnical University of Košice · BSc Information TechnologyMy first projects at university took off, and people liked using them.
06 · AboutBeginnings

Hooked on people using what I make.

Portrait of Dávid Novák

I got into frontend as a teenager, and my journey on the web properly began around 2012 at university. My first projects took off and people liked using them. I was hooked on the idea of countless people using something I’d made, and that feeling still drives me.

After graduating, my path was varied: a marketing agency, freelance projects and a digital studio. Since August 2018 I’ve been leading frontend work on products for international clients.

I’ve always moved between design and implementation. Building something visually refined and genuinely pleasant to use is the part of the job I care about most.

EDUCATION
BSc Information Technology, Technical University of Košice
LANGUAGES
English (expert), Slovak (native), Hungarian (advanced), German (basic)
BASED
Slovakia, working remotely with international teams