Magnolia
HalfStack Phoenix, 2026
Accessibility Is Still More Than Screen Readers
Low vision, motor, cognitive, hearing, and situational needs, what automated tools miss, and what an audit should hand you.
Watch on YouTubeThe development team you don't have to hire.
Magnolia exists so organizations without an engineering team get the same technical care as the ones with one.
Malak Janus
Founder and Principal Developer
I've worked in software for twenty years, most of it alongside people who aren't technical. That's the work I like best: I bring what I know about building software, my clients bring what they know about their business, and together we make something that changes how they work.
I'm as comfortable in design as I am in code, and Magnolia is built around that. I also use Magnolia to teach, both clients who want to understand their own systems and developers earlier in their careers, whom I mentor.
Outside client work, I'm the IT chair for HeatSync Labs, a nonprofit makerspace in Mesa.
How we're different to work with.
No account managers
The people on your first call are the people doing the work.
One shared board
You see every request, its status, and what's next.
A walkthrough every two weeks
Short, and skipped when there's nothing to decide.
AI tools, used thoughtfully
We use AI coding tools with human review, and not on security, privacy, or compliance work. We'll always lean on experts for that.
What we're here to do.
01
Make accessibility ordinary
Every build and retainer meets WCAG 2.2 AA, at no extra charge.
02
Keep expertise reachable
A retainer gives you a senior team without hiring one.
03
Leave you more capable
Training, documentation, and content your team can edit.
04
Say the uncomfortable thing early
Including when the answer is not to build.
05
Stay long enough to see results
Our longest maintenance retainer has run since 2024.
Talks
HalfStack Phoenix, 2025
How to Train Your Dragon
Working with AI coding tools: treat them like a fast, confident junior developer, and know where not to use them.
Watch on YouTubeHalfStack Phoenix, 2024
Accessibility: More Than Just Screen Readers
The talk that started the series: who accessibility is for, and why a screen reader check is only the beginning.
Watch on YouTubeRuby::AZ
Ruby::AZ at HeatSync Labs, Mesa · August 27, 2026
Deploying with Kamal, Day 2
What happens after the first deploy: monitoring, zero-trust access, unattended security patching, and automated provisioning for apps on your own servers.
Tell us what's going on.
The first call is free and takes about 30 minutes. You talk to the people who would do the work, and we reply to every message within one business day.