Portfolio Website Design Documentation

Overview

This document outlines the design principles, architecture decisions, and implementation details of my personal portfolio website. The site serves as a showcase for my projects, skills, and professional experience, while also demonstrating my capabilities in modern web development.

Technology Stack

• Framework: Next.js 14 with App Router
• Frontend: React 18 with TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS with custom theme configuration
• Database: Neon PostgreSQL (serverless)
• Content Management: Markdown files with frontmatter
• Deployment: Vercel with Edge Functions

Architecture

Directory Structure

``` ├── app/ # Next.js App Router │ ├── api/ # API routes │ ├── [category]/ # Dynamic category routes │ │ └── [subcategory]/# Dynamic subcategory routes │ │ └── [project]/# Dynamic project routes │ └── layout.tsx # Root layout ├── components/ # Reusable React components ├── content/ # Markdown content files ├── lib/ # Utility functions and helpers ├── public/ # Static assets └── styles/ # Global styles ```

Data Flow

1. Content Storage:

   • Project metadata stored in Neon PostgreSQL database
   • Project content stored as Markdown files in the repository

2. Data Fetching:

   • Server Components fetch data directly from the database
   • Content is loaded from Markdown files at build time
   • Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) for updated content

3. Rendering Strategy:

   • Static generation for most pages
   • Server-side rendering for dynamic content
   • Client-side interactivity where needed

Database Schema

The portfolio uses a relational database with the following schema:

```sql -- Categories table CREATE TABLE categories ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, slug TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL, description TEXT, image_url TEXT, image_ratio TEXT );

-- Subcategories table CREATE TABLE subcategories ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, category_id INTEGER REFERENCES categories(id), name TEXT NOT NULL, slug TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL, description TEXT, image_url TEXT, image_ratio TEXT );

-- Projects table CREATE TABLE projects ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, subcategory_id INTEGER REFERENCES subcategories(id), title TEXT NOT NULL, slug TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL, description TEXT, content TEXT, image_url TEXT, image_ratio TEXT, software TEXT, youtube_id VARCHAR(20) ); ```

UI/UX Design

Design Principles

1. Minimalism: Clean, uncluttered interface that focuses on content
2. Typography-driven: Strong typographic hierarchy for readability
3. Responsive: Fluid design that works across all device sizes
4. Performance-focused: Fast loading times and smooth interactions
5. Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant design

Color Palette

• Primary: #0f172a (Slate 900)
• Secondary: #64748b (Slate 500)
• Accent: #2563eb (Blue 600)
• Background: #f8fafc (Slate 50)
• Text: #1e293b (Slate 800)
• Dark mode variants for all colors

Typography

• Headings: Inter (sans-serif)
• Body: Inter (sans-serif)
• Code: JetBrains Mono (monospace)

Performance Optimization

Image Optimization

• Next.js Image component for automatic optimization
• WebP format with fallbacks
• Responsive sizes based on viewport
• Lazy loading for off-screen images

JavaScript Optimization

• Code splitting by route
• Tree shaking unused code
• Deferred loading of non-critical resources
• Prefetching of likely navigation paths

CSS Optimization

• Tailwind's JIT compiler for minimal CSS
• Critical CSS inlined in the head
• Purging of unused styles in production

Accessibility Features

• Semantic HTML structure
• ARIA attributes where appropriate
• Keyboard navigation support
• Focus management for interactive elements
• Color contrast ratios meeting WCAG standards
• Screen reader friendly content

SEO Strategy

• Server-side rendering for optimal indexing
• Structured data (JSON-LD) for rich snippets
• Canonical URLs for all pages
• Optimized meta tags
• XML sitemap generation
• robots.txt configuration

Analytics and Monitoring

• Vercel Analytics for performance monitoring
• Custom event tracking for user interactions
• Error logging and reporting
• A/B testing capability for design iterations

Deployment Pipeline

1. Development: Local development with hot reloading
2. Staging: Preview deployments for each pull request
3. Production: Automatic deployment on merge to main branch
4. Monitoring: Post-deployment checks and monitoring

Future Enhancements

• Blog section with RSS feed
• Dark/light mode toggle with system preference detection
• Internationalization support
• Advanced filtering and search functionality
• Interactive project demos embedded in project pages
• Contact form with email integration

Conclusion

This portfolio website represents a modern approach to personal showcasing, leveraging the latest web technologies while maintaining excellent performance, accessibility, and user experience. The combination of Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, and Neon Database provides a solid foundation for a scalable and maintainable web application.