What kind of challenges can lead a computer science graduate, originally focused on backend development, to assist healthcare professionals in improving their work efficiency as an frontend engineer? Ethan's experience may provide some insights.
In the early stages of his career, Ethan specialized in backend development, dealing with data integration. "It's just about converting various types of data into different formats, and what you see is just a bunch of text," Ethan said half-jokingly and candidly. However, he gradually realized that he enjoyed the process of presenting data visually and felt satisfied with the intuitive feedback that visual representation brought, leading him to switch to frontend development.
Now, Ethan is primarily responsible for frontend development at aetherAI, playing a key role in the development and refactoring of a main product at aetherAI. He continuously challenges himself technically, learning new fields and tools. Just as blood vessels are responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients to various organs or systems in the body, Ethan connects design and functionality through frontend development, enabling healthcare professionals to smoothly use aetherAI's digital pathology system and enjoy an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user experience.
From Content Management System Projects to Medical Imaging Products
Looking back, Ethan primarily engaged in project-based development, handling various short-term projects. As he accumulated experience, he began seeking opportunities for long-term growth and optimization, leading him to shift towards product development. For him, the main difference between product development and project development lies in the long-term planning and continuous iteration of products, which do not require repeated adjustments of UI styles for each project, allowing for a greater focus on user flows and returning to the essence of user needs. Ethan emphasizes that he "hopes to continuously optimize what I create, making it something that everyone finds useful."
Ethan also mentioned that one of the biggest challenges at aetherAI is the application of medical imaging processing technology, which exposed him to areas he had never ventured into before. For instance, during the development of a medical image viewer, he needed to use mapping tools to load and process large images. Additionally, when handling the display and adjustment of digital pathology slides, accurately presenting the colors and brightness of images posed a significant technical challenge. This was vastly different from his previous experience in developing content management systems, but working at aetherAI allowed him to start exploring these fields. This new technical challenge also sparked his interest in image processing, significantly broadening his technical perspective in frontend development.
When discussing the sense of achievement in his work, Ethan emphasized that the satisfaction of solving technical problems during the restructuring process stands out the most. He describes it as solving a complex problem, needing to first understand the architecture of the old system, then dismantling and reconstructing it step by step, ultimately achieving system optimization. Furthermore, even in roles that do not directly interact with healthcare professionals, Ethan is very curious about the real needs behind functionalities and proactively discusses with product designers whether there are more flexible solutions. When he knows that his work can genuinely help medical professionals, he feels particularly fulfilled and has a strong sense of mission.
Supporting Each Other with Cross-Team Members
Ethan has profound experiences collaborating with designers, backend developers, and testing engineers at aetherAI.
Ethan shared that in previous customized projects, he often had to make tedious modifications to components based on different project requirements. However, at aetherAI, frontend development focuses on building a sustainable design system. In his previous project-based development work, he never had the opportunity to discuss with designers and often had to handle design-related tasks on his own. Now, with the support of product designers at aetherAI, he can focus on development work, ensuring the consistency and reusability of component designs. For frontend engineers, this is a significant advantage, allowing the establishment of a component library that enables each product to share well-crafted components, enhancing development efficiency and ensuring consistency between design and functionality, allowing more energy to be devoted to optimizing user workflows and meeting design requirements.
In addition to collaborating with designers, Ethan also discussed working with backend engineers. Especially in the process of data transmission and presentation, communication between frontend and backend is crucial. He emphasized that in the early stages of development, closing requirements and technical discussions between frontend and backend can help avoid subsequent modifications and adjustments. Additionally, the frontend often collaborates with testing engineers to verify whether the implementation results align with expectations. Ethan also admitted that to ensure the integrity of the final product, "there are certain compromises that need to be made, and cross-department collaboration and communication are indispensable."
Of course, collaborating with cross-team members is not always smooth sailing. Ethan pointed out that collaboration between designers and engineers sometimes faces challenges due to differing perspectives of the system. For example, when designers want to achieve certain effects or operations, they may encounter situations where frontend technology struggles to handle them. In such cases, frontend engineers and designers need to discuss together to find the best solution, balancing experience design with technical resources. A more specific example is when addressing alignment issues with components of different sizes; frontend engineers tend to think modularly, while designers may seek more precise alignment effects, necessitating communication and adjustments between both parties to ultimately find a solution that balances aesthetics and technical feasibility.
Beyond Technology: Collaborative Growth and Team Cohesion
At the same time, Ethan enjoys social activities with colleagues. Besides regular meals, drinks, and board games, he has also influenced many aetherAI partners to develop an interest in bouldering, which has now become a regular club activity.
These activities outside of work not only enhance team cohesion but also establish deeper and mutually appreciative relationships in a relaxed atmosphere.
Are you looking for a team that collaborates seamlessly and a stage to showcase your talents? Check if aetherAI has suitable job openings for you now!