Personal Projects

Sharpening my Skills and having Fun

AI has changed what a single designer can build. Tools like Claude and Figma have collapsed the distance between an idea and a working product, so prototyping, coding, and iterating are no longer separate handoffs. I see this as a shift in the craft itself, and I want to stay at the front of it. The projects below are apps I designed and built with modern AI tools. Each one was a way to test how AI fits into my process, from framing the problem and shaping the experience to shipping something people can use. They show my UX and product thinking applied to real, functional software, and how I'm keeping my skills current as the tools change.

These apps were all created with free time I had outside of my other projects.

Tools: Figma, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Claude

Backseat, the roadtrip companion App

Backseat is a phone-first road-trip game companion that turns time on the road into shared play, with quick-access modes for riddles, trivia, visual puzzles, bingo, “Would You Rather,” and daily games. Designed for groups sharing one device, it keeps each activity simple to start and easy to play together. Developing Backseat also gives me a practical way to sharpen my AI-assisted design skills: using modern tools to explore concepts, prototype screen flows, and iterate on visual directions, while applying product judgment to make the experience cohesive, usable, and responsive.

Figma Design File: https://www.figma.com/design/B66gqaofhujQEsehntJKfM/Backseat-Roadside-Companion-App-Screens?node-id=0-1&t=PRr2ROqc8rzMZsWe-1

Check it out here: https://dstraffon.github.io/Backseat/

808 Pocket, one click from a rhythm

808 Pocket is a compact, browser-based drum machine designed to make beat creation feel immediate and playful. It combines a responsive 16-step sequencer with eight synthesized drum voices, tempo and volume controls, and pitch tuning for the kick, snare tone, and toms. I built it as a hands-on way to strengthen my skills with AI tools, using them to explore ideas, iterate on features and design, and help bring the project from concept to a working, polished experience across desktop and mobile.