I make software starting with the human stuff... and then dig into the technical bits.
I love solving challenging interaction problems and making sense of information. User experience, collaboration, making tools and design systems are of special interest.
With people and context in mind I use text, a wireframe, high-fidelity mockup, or a prototype in a browser to communicate and bring solutions to life.
I’ve been drawing my whole life and learned early that a picture could more clearly communicate than words.
I’m especially interested in where design, engineering and business meet. I want to help people and projects succeed through process and collaboration.
From design-system driven prototyping to implementing React/Redux single-page JS applications using ES6 and Webpack, I am a practicing front-end engineer.
I’ve helped people turn large and obscure datasets into explorable interfaces to easily ask questions of and interperet meaningful information.
I’ve been working with Rails since v2.3. While I’m not an expert Ruby developer, I am familiar and productive in a Rails project.
I have helped a handful of budding designers and developers. I’ve personally taken the journey from crayons to vim and genuinely love giving back.
Trust, respect, empathy and curiosity are qualities I strive to embody. I will give wholeheartedly to my team like I do my family. Life is short, make friends.
I've had the pleasure of being consistently privileged to work with Michael since 2010. In that time we've often collaborated to combine excellent software and visual design to produce great user experiences. But the real privilege is having worked with a person who has gone so far out of his comfort zone to learn technical skills in order to collaborate, that I had to up my education in visual design to keep up. We've built some great things and invented novel technologies together, and I will always be delighted at the opportunity to work with Michael again.
Michael Parenteau is the most passionate, creative mind I have had the pleasure to work with. His approach to design driven software and fantastic attitude are contagious, making everyone around him more productive. As a technician, his skill set and real-world experience are a valuable asset to any project. Michael brings a strong work ethic and an inspirational tone to any organization looking to put their best work forward.
Michael is a maker through and through. Every project he touches benefits from his creativity, his empathy for the end user, and his drive to share his creations with the world. Any team would be lucky to have Michael's remarkable talent and infectious enthusiasm.
Michael Parenteau is a gem among colleagues. Here are the things I look for when I am hiring:
competence couple with confidence -- they should be able to take a task from start to finish, and I should trust them to put forth full effort.
can ask for help -- I shy away from people who are so confident they won't seek out help, or show any sign of needing it.
empathy -- I like people who can understand somebody else's point of view, whether that be colleague, customer, user, etc.
creativity -- I want to see them respond to challenges with an open mind, and the thought that "there must be some way"
Michael is the epitome of all of these things. If Michael lacks anything, it is the self defense mechanism to know when too much is being asked of him. He will go to any length to produce an excellent outcome, and his ability to work with and for anyone is simply astounding.
Michael is a very talented designer and engineer who truly cares for the way products are used by their intended audience. He has an extraordinary ability to focus on little things, while keeping the big picture in sight. If knowing how to design and build applications was not enough, Michael has also picked up illustration and animation skills along the way. A well rounded and easy to work with guy who who passionately cares for the results. What else could you wish for?
Michael is a great designer and colleague. He has tremendous passion for improving everyone and everything he comes in contact with. His cheerful, can-do attitude is wonderfully infectious.
Michael is an engaging story teller and the systems he designs uncannily feel like they too are telling a story. He listens closely, probes and finds ways to bring to life even the vaguest of ideas.
Michael brings a sense of curiosity, earnestness, and humanity to his work in truly inspiring way. He sees the potential for technology to make lives better, and strives to create great experiences every day--through intuitive and discoverable UX, delightful design, and elegant code. Michael makes a noticeable, positive, and _lasting_ change on every team and project he touches.
