Yamikani Phiri · Design engineer, web designer & software developer in ZambiaDesigned, built, moving
I'm Yami, a design engineer in Zambia. I design interfaces, build them in real code, and make them move. One person from the first sketch to the shipped product.
Selected work
Things I've made
Products I designed and built end to end. Each one has the story of how it came together.
NyanjaLang
A complete programming language you write in Nyanja, with its own interpreter, live on the web.
Read the storyUnion membership platform
Applications, approvals and QR-coded certificates that anyone can verify on a public page.
Read the storyAlumni Connect Hub
An alumni app for Northrise Software, and the reusable UI layer every one of their new apps will share.
Read the storyKompass
Web design, interface design and motion pieces that tell the product's story before anyone reads a word.
Read the storyRiconnetti Events
A logo and colour direction for an events company, and an animated website to bring it to life.
Read the storyWhat I do
Design, code, motion
Most projects lose weeks between the mockup and the build. I do both, so nothing gets lost in the handoff.
Design
Interfaces people understand on first look, and brands that feel like someone.
- Landing pages and websites
- Product and app interfaces
- Design systems and brand identities
Code
The design, built for real: fast, accessible, and yours to keep growing.
- React, TypeScript, Next.js, Astro
- Node, Laravel, Python, SQL
- Deployed, documented, handed over
Motion
Movement that explains. Interfaces that respond, and product stories that make sense in seconds.
- Product explainer animations
- Interface micro-interactions
- Logo and brand motion
Process
How I work
Five promises I make on every project, big or small.
- 1
Brief first, pixels second.
Before I design anything, we agree on who the site is for, what it has to do, and what "done" looks like. No surprises halfway through.
- 2
Options, not a single guess.
You see two or three genuinely different directions, each with the reasoning behind it, and we pick one together.
- 3
Designed and built by the same hands.
I design the site and write its code, so nothing gets lost between a mockup and the live site.
- 4
AI for speed, people for taste.
I use AI to explore more ideas and build faster. Every decision about how your site looks, reads and feels is made by a person.
- 5
Every project makes the next one better.
I review each project when it wraps and fold what I learned back into my process, so you benefit from every client before you.
Lab
Side quests
Smaller experiments in data, finance and play. This is where I try things before clients need them.
Stat-arb engine
A statistical arbitrage pipeline: unit-root tests, Engle-Granger and Johansen cointegration, VECM signals and GARCH position sizing.
Nyanja data toolkit
An NLP preprocessing pipeline for Nyanja/Chewa text, built alongside NyanjaLang.
ETF classifier
Reproduced published ETF classification results with correlation-based feature selection and a neural network classifier.
Leaf Life
A plant-growth quiz game with AI-generated questions, running on serverless functions.
OpenPDF Library
A React front end for an open document library, styled like an old card catalogue.
Yamikani Phiri, "Yami"
About
I like the whole journey, from the first sketch to the thing working in your hands.
I'm Yamikani Phiri, Yami for short: a web designer and software developer based in Zambia. I work across UI/UX design, front-end and full-stack development, and motion, mostly with React, Next.js, Astro, Laravel and Python.
I studied computer science, so I think in systems. I design for people, so I care how it feels. I'm studying financial engineering, so I like my numbers right.
- Now
- KompassWeb design, interface design and motionNorthrise SoftwareSoftware developer, consultant
- Education
- MSc Financial EngineeringWorldQuant University, in progressBSc Computer ScienceNorthrise University, Ndola
Kind words
In their words
Clients and collaborators on what it's like to work with me.
I love your work! Yami took what was in my head for my bakery and turned it into a brand and website that feel like me. He's practically a cheat sheet: he knew what I needed before I could explain it, and the result is something I'm proud to share with my customers.
Working on a project with Yami is always interesting, and the outcome is always something to look forward to. He brings fresh ideas, pays attention to the details, and keeps the work moving until it's done right.
Damnnn... you just made the website show that my business means nothing but business. I love it! Yami understood the level of professionalism I wanted Riconnetti Events to carry, and he delivered a brand and website that match it. Thank you.
Yami is a collaborator I'd happily work with again. He's thoughtful, reliable, and brings both design sense and technical skill to the table, so the work always ends up better than where it started.
Contact
Let's build something
Tell me what you're making, who it's for, and when you need it. A few lines is plenty. I'll reply with how I'd approach it and a rough timeline.