starting with...
The Template Trap (Versions 1 & 2)
Let me be honest about where this journey started: templates and shortcuts.
Version 1 was a Webflow template I barely customized, just enough to dump my content and call it done. It got me into my master's program, but it wasn't something I was proud of. Version 2 followed the same pattern on Framer, another templated approach that served its purpose but left me unsatisfied.
These weren't portfolios; they were digital business cards. They checked boxes but didn't tell stories or solve problems. More importantly, they reflected a mindset I needed to outgrow: the belief that good enough was actually good enough.
The Spectacle Years (Portfolio Version 3)
Version 3 was where I first found my voice, and made my biggest mistake.
I spent months mastering Framer to create something truly original. The landing page was a visual journey through my hometown, growing up, college, and university. Interactive tooltips told my story through carefully crafted animations. It was beautiful, engaging, and technically impressive.
I was convinced that making the landing page a spectacle would land me the job of my dreams. The logic seemed sound: grab attention, tell a story, showcase technical skills.
It didn't work.
Despite being something I'm still proud of creatively, it was a professional failure. The storytelling was compelling, but the actual project content remained template-like and shallow. I had optimized for the wrong metrics, visual impact over substance, spectacle over solutions.
The harsh reality hit: decision-makers don't hire portfolios that look pretty. They hire professionals who can solve problems.
The Awakening: Why AI Changed Everything
By early 2024, AI wasn't just a buzzword anymore, it was reshaping entire industries. When I saw my parents using ChatGPT to create Studio Ghibli art, I knew the landscape had fundamentally shifted.
This wasn't just about staying current with trends. This was about professional survival.
While working at ASU's Learning Engineering Institute, I had evolved from student worker to intern to full-time, eventually leading the entire UX arm. I was managing teams, driving projects from zero to one, and operating at a strategic level. But my portfolio still reflected the old me, the one focused on aesthetics over impact.
The disconnect was glaring. I was leading enterprise-level projects by day and showcasing pretty mockups by night.
The Problem with Traditional Portfolios
Here's what I realized: traditional portfolios are fundamentally broken communication tools.
Every visitor, whether a recruiter, hiring manager, or product leader, gets forced down the same linear path. A CEO looking for strategic thinking and a designer seeking inspiration have completely different needs, but they get the same experience.
Meanwhile, I was constantly receiving feedback: "You didn't include this," "There's too much content," "There's too little content." The problem wasn't the content, it was the one-size-fits-all approach.
So I decided to solve it.
Building the Solution: AI-Powered Portfolio Architecture
Instead of creating another static showcase, I built a conversational interface that personalizes the portfolio experience for each visitor. This wasn't just about implementing AI for the sake of it, it was about solving a real UX problem.
The Technical Challenge: My initial plan was ambitious: deploy a Llama 3.2 model on Oracle Cloud for maximum control. Reality had other plans. The model was computationally massive, inference times were unacceptable, and the "free" infrastructure couldn't handle the load.
The Strategic Pivot: Rather than push forward with a suboptimal solution, I made a critical decision, one that reflects mature engineering thinking. I pivoted to a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture using Gemini API, Qdrant vector database, and Haystack orchestration.
This wasn't an admission of failure; it was strategic prioritization. Focus resources on the unique value proposition rather than re-solving infrastructure problems.
Version 4: Function Over Form
The current portfolio represents a fundamental philosophical shift: visual simplicity meets elite functionality.
Instead of a spectacle, I built a tool. Instead of forcing visitors down a single path, I created multiple navigation approaches. Instead of showcasing pretty mockups, I focus on impact, business needs, user research, and measurable outcomes.
The chatbot handles the personalization, answering questions visitors actually have rather than the ones I assume they have. Meanwhile, the structured content speaks to decision-makers who want to understand how I think, not just what I've designed.
The Technical Foundation:
- RAG Pipeline: Custom-built using Haystack for orchestration
- LLM: Gemini for optimal performance and cost-effectiveness
- Vector Database: Qdrant Cloud for high-performance retrieval
- Infrastructure: Oracle Cloud, carefully optimized for scalability
- Data Curation: Exclusively sourced from detailed project documentation to ensure factual accuracy
The Hybrid Professional: Beyond Designer vs. Engineer
This portfolio reflects something the industry needs more of: professionals who don't fit neatly into traditional categories.
I'm not just a designer who codes or an engineer who designs. I'm someone who can:
- Think strategically about user problems and business needs
- Execute technically from concept to deployment
- Lead teams across disciplines and stakeholder groups
- Adapt continuously to new technologies and market demands
The AI implementation isn't just a technical showcase, it's proof of my ability to identify problems, learn new technologies, and build solutions that matter.
The Never-Ending Cycle
Here's what I've learned: there is no "final" portfolio, just as there's no final version of yourself professionally.
Each iteration reflects who you are at that moment, your skills, priorities, and understanding of what matters. Version 1 got me into graduate school. Version 2 helped me learn. Version 3 taught me the difference between impressive and effective. Version 4 positions me for the next phase of my career.
The key isn't perfection; it's continuous adaptation. In a world where AI can generate beautiful designs in seconds, what matters is your ability to solve problems, lead strategic initiatives, and navigate the intersection of technology and human needs.
What This Means for the Industry
We're at an inflection point. The professionals who will thrive aren't those with the most specialized skills in a single domain, they're the ones who can bridge domains, adapt quickly, and build solutions that matter.
This portfolio evolution mirrors a broader industry shift: from craft specialization to strategic generalization, from individual contributor mindsets to leadership thinking, from tool mastery to problem-solving capability.
The question isn't whether you're a designer or an engineer. It's whether you're building the future or just documenting the present.
The mobile version of this portfolio is still in development, a conscious decision as I focus on enterprise UX where desktop experiences matter most. Like everything else, it's a work in progress, continuously evolving based on real-world feedback and changing needs.
Acknowledgment: This narrative was crafted with AI assistance to refine and polish a 10,000+ word draft into a focused story. The experiences, insights, and technical details are entirely authentic, AI simply helped me tell the story more effectively.